Clipmarks | Deepti's 'islam' clips

Women Living under Muslim Laws

Sun, 30 Mar 2008 05:51:16 GMT

clipped by: Deepti
clipper's remarks: Interesting website regarding news, views, publications etc all about Muslim women everywhere

Clip Source: www.wluml.org

An international network that provides information, solidarity and support for all women whose lives are shaped, conditioned or governed by laws and customs said to derive from Islam.

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Saudi Arabia opens its first women-only hotel

Wed, 19 Mar 2008 13:22:25 GMT

clipped by: Deepti

Clip Source: www.reuters.com

For a country that goes to such great lengths to segregate unrelated men and women, it took Saudi Arabia a long time to hit on the idea of women-only hotels

The kingdom's first hotel exclusively for females opened on Wednesday, offering plush lodgings with a full-range of health and beauty facilities for ladies to pamper themselves away from the accusing eyes of a male-dominated society

New rules announced in January allow women to stay in standard mixed-gender hotels without a male family member in tow, but bureaucracy and conservative family values mean few have been able to make use of their new-found freedom

The Luthan Hotel & Spa is owned by a group of 20 Saudi princesses and businesswomen, but it was left to seven princes headed by Sultan bin Salman, a son of Riyadh's powerful governor, to officially inaugurate it on Wednesday evening

The few female journalists who came along liked the hotel but not the fact that men dominated the opening ceremony

Tags: saudi arabia, women, conservative, islam, arab, muslim, segregation, hotel, spa

New marriage law proposed for Muslim women in India

Tue, 18 Mar 2008 05:09:03 GMT

clipped by: Deepti
clipper's remarks: Controversial points of new nikahnama

--Triple talaq said in one go will not be acceptable
--Talaq to be spaced out over a period of 3 months
--Talaq not be allowed via phone or SMS
--New Nikahnama insists on free will for the girl in case of nikah
--Talaq cannot be given under the influence of alcohol
--Talaq given to pregnant woman should be considered illegal

Clip Source: www.gulfnews.com

The All India Muslim Women Personal Law Board (AIMWPLB) has released the Shariat Nikahnama that they claim would give equal rights to both Muslim men and women

Women belonging to both the Shiite and Sunni sects, are demanding a revolutionary nikahnama that does away with contentious issue of triple talaq (divorce)

If the board has its way, a Muslim woman would be entitled to seek divorce if her husband was found having illicit relationship with another woman

The board has also rejected any divorce done through SMS, email, phone as well as video conferencing, besides rejecting divorce done on provocation

A Muslim woman can seek divorce if she is forced by her husband to indulge in unnatural sex. She can also seek divorce if her husband contracts Aids

The new nikahnama has 17-point guidelines for marriage under the sharia for bride and groom, while eight points on the divorce process

Tags: india, women, muslim, islam, sharia, rights, marriage, divorce, equality, law

First Women to Conduct Marriages in Egypt

Sun, 02 Mar 2008 04:14:37 GMT

clipped by: Deepti

Clip Source: www.feminist.org

This week Amal Soliman became Egypt's first woman able to perform Muslim marriages. Soliman's appointment has generated controversy within Egypt's Muslim community, especially among Muslim men who insist that a woman should not hold the position of maazun, or marriage registrar. The BBC News reports that the court chose Solima over 10 male candidates due to her legal qualifications. Solima has a master's degree in law

Sheikh Fawsi Zafzaf, director of Al-Azhar University in Cairo, responded to Soliman's appointment stating, "There are no religious texts banning a Muslim woman from being a maazun. But when a woman is menstruating she must not enter a mosque or read Koranic verses and that will affect her job, so for that reason we say it is not advisable to have a woman maazun."

Solima focuses on the positive affects her gender can have on her job

Tags: egypt, woman, muslim, arab, islam, marriage, registrar, culture, religion

Iran bans female 'Schumacher'

Wed, 20 Feb 2008 12:33:48 GMT

clipped by: Deepti

Clip Source: news.bbc.co.uk

Laleh's story is a symbol of what women can achieve in today's Iran

The 31-year-old sportswoman, nicknamed "Little Schumacher" is a minor celebrity in her native country

Laleh found that as long as she respected Islamic dress codes, she could race directly against male drivers - something that does not happen anywhere else in the world

The regime was so put out, Iranian TV was forbidden from showing her on the victory podium

Her desire to compete in the fastest car racing category - the all male "Free Class" - led her into a complicated plot which involved repainting her fastest race car as a slower model

Suspicious race officials paid a surprise visit to her garage and found evidence of her car-switching ploy. Laleh protested that she was the victim of a male-led plot inspired by jealousy

But her pleas for mitigation fell on deaf ears and the Iranian racing authorities have banned her from competitions for a year

Laleh has vowed to fight to clear her name

Tags: women, iran, female, islam, car, racing, ban

Afghan Reporter To Die For Insulting Islam

Thu, 31 Jan 2008 04:06:43 GMT

clipped by: wiccantexan

Clip Source: www.cbsnews.com

Afghanistan's upper house of parliament lauded the death sentence handed down against a local journalist who was found guilty of insulting Islam, an official said Wednesday.

The journalist, 23-year-old Sayed Parwez Kaambakhsh, was sentenced to death last week by a three-judge panel in the northern city of Mazar-i-Sharif for distributing a report he printed off the Internet to journalism students at Balkh University.

The article asked why men can have four wives but women can't have multiple husbands.

The court in Mazar-i-Sharif found that the article humiliated Islam. Members of a clerical council also pushed for Kaambakhsh to be punished.

Kaambakhsh has appealed his conviction and the case will now go to an appeals court. President Hamid Karzai will have the final say in the matter.

Tags: islam, muslim, death penalty, afghanistan, internet, marriage

Offended Muslim Syndrome

Mon, 10 Dec 2007 19:15:45 GMT

clipped by: ColoradoRight
clipper's remarks: In order to guard against OMS, health officials warn individuals who are at risk to make sure that the objective reality they are exposed to does not:

* Make them aware of the outside world
* Trigger curiosity about the Western notions of "logic" or "rationality"
* Make life more enjoyable
* Cause them to question the need for martyrdom
* Have side effects such as independent thinking and longing to live as a productive individual
* Create an illusion that communication with infidels is possible without hostage-taking

Clip Source: www.thepeoplescube.com

Following the misery inflicted on Islam by a toy bear that ended up with calls for the execution of an English woman, more Muslims are stepping forward with stories of long-suppressed emotional trauma imposed on them by so-called reality.

Studies conducted by mental health professionals have shown that Muslim men and women are often offended by the most unexpected items, including baby rattles, hummingbirds, home appliances, or geographical maps with polar ice caps.

Symptoms of Offended Muslim Syndrome (OMS)

Irritability, agitation, anxiety at the sight of women who are not fully covered
Prolonged rage or unexplained killing sprees
Significant changes in immigration patterns
Brooding about the past glory of the Caliphate
Decreased effectiveness and minimal work productivity
Difficulty in understanding new information without a trial lawyer
Feelings of despair or hopelessness about the existence of Israel
Recurring thoughts of death to the infidels

Tags: parody, sarcasm, humor, muslim, self-help, 12 step groups

run girls, run!!!

Thu, 29 Nov 2007 12:43:07 GMT

clipped by: Deepti
clipper's remarks: It couldn’t possibly be that these young girls see clearly the life that awaits them in the loving arms of Saudi Arabia and don’t want to live like an identity-less being, someone else’s third-rate possession and be doomed to a life of beatings, unending labor, and even death if they step out of line, could it?

Clip Source: www.alarabiya.net

The Saudi Ministries of Interior and Social Affairs, in collaboration with the Committee for the Propagation of Virtue and Prevention of Vice, are conducting a study on runaway girls, press reports said Wednesday

The move comes as the number of girls who ran away from their families hit 3,000, according to Saudi newspaper Okaz. Other local papers have reported that 850 of the runaways were under the age of 14

Psychiatrist Mohei Abdullah Al-Qurani, who heads the psychotherapy center in the southwestern governorate of Baljorashi, attributes the girls' behavior to the absence of devout religiosity and to family problems

According to Qurani, the solution is to raise children in accordance with Islamic principles and constantly monitor their behavior and circle of friends

The social affairs director in the Mecca Region, Ihsan Tayeb, warned in earlier press statements that a lack of monitoring and negligence on the part of parents are the main reasons behind the phenomenon

Tags: saudi arabia, runaways, adoloescents, muslim, islam

Saudi women to lobby king for driving rights

Tue, 18 Sep 2007 10:52:05 GMT

clipped by: Deepti

Clip Source: www.gulfnews.com

A group of Saudi women have formed a committee to lobby for the right to get behind the wheel.

The group has said it plans to petition King Abdullah in the next few days about overturning the ban on women driving in the kingdom.

The government is unlikely to respond because the issue remains so highly sensitive and divisive

The driving ban applies to all women, Saudi and foreign, and forces families to hire live-in drivers.

Women whose families cannot afford a driver must rely on male relatives to drive them around

Conservatives

say women will be free to leave home alone and go when and where they please. They also will unduly expose their eyes while driving and interact with male strangers.

But supporters of female drivers say the prohibition exists neither in law nor Islam, but is based on fatwas, or edicts, by senior clerics

Tags: saudi arabia, women, driving, islamic, prohibition, cars, king, clerics

Yazidis: a secretive sect

Thu, 16 Aug 2007 05:29:02 GMT

clipped by: Deepti

Clip Source: www.gulfnews.com

Yazidis are predominantly ethnic Kurds whose religion blends elements of Zoroastrianism, Judaism, Christianity and Islam

Small communities of Yazidis can be found in Syria, Turkey, Georgia and Armenia, but the majority of the estimated 100,000 believers live in Iraq

Yazidis worship an angel figure, Malak Ta'us, or Peacock Angel, who is considered to be the devil by some Muslims and Christians. Yazidis - who don't believe in hell or evil - deny that

Many Yazidi rituals center on Sheik Adi, a Sufi Arab who lived in northern Iraq in the 12th century and is considered the religion's chief saint. Pilgrims hold festivals near his tomb, north of Mosul

Many Yazidi traditions are shrouded in such secrecy that most have never been witnessed by outsiders

Yazidis regard marriage outside their faith as a sin punishable by ostracism or even death to restore lost honor

Tags: yazidis, secretive, sect, religion, culture, rituals

Muslim woman asked not to live with Hindu 'husband'

Mon, 13 Aug 2007 05:11:51 GMT

clipped by: Deepti

Clip Source: www.gulfnews.com

Islamic authorities in Malaysia have freed a Muslim woman after detaining her for four months for marrying a Hindu, the couple's lawyer said yesterday.

The Selangor state Islamic authorities have, however, ordered the 25-year-old ethnic Indian woman to live separately from her husband, arguing that her year-old marriage was illegal under Islam.

In Malaysia, Muslims cannot marry non-Muslims. Her case is the latest strain in the social fabric of the multiracial nation, where many non-Muslims believe the authorities and the courts are allowing their rights to be trampled by the Muslim majority

Religious police had raided the couple's house in April and arrested her, arguing she was "illegally cohabiting" with a Hindu and for failing to produce any relevant marriage documents

Tags: muslim, malaysia, woman, husband, illegal, islam, religion, convert

Hamas legal body replaces courts

Sun, 22 Jul 2007 14:19:01 GMT

clipped by: Deepti
clipper's remarks: "Abu Zuhri, a Hamas spokesman, said the committee is a temporary alternative, until the courts start functioning again.

Issam Younis, head of the Gaza-based human rights group Mezan, said alternatives to the existing courts are unacceptable."

why are warning bells ringing in my head???

Clip Source: www.gulfnews.com

Hamas is replacing Gaza's defunct courts with a legal committee consisting of an Islamic law expert, a military court lawyer and the head of the main prison, a spokesman for the Hamas force policing Gaza announced yesterday.

Hamas said it wouldn't use the committee to impose Islamic law, a concern raised by human rights groups since it seized control of Gaza last month.

The legal system in Gaza stopped functioning after Abbas ordered judges, prosecutors and police to stop cooperating with Gaza's new rulers

Even before the takeover, the judicial system was overburdened and seen as largely ineffective. Many Palestinians instead resorted to tribal law, to decide punishments for various offences

Hamas warned Tony Blair yesterday his credibility as the new international Mideast peace envoy will be damaged if he ignores the organisation

Tags: hamas, gaza, palestine, islam, law, courts

Edict against liberals raises violence fears

Mon, 09 Jul 2007 05:23:38 GMT

clipped by: Deepti

Clip Source: www.gulfnews.com

A religious edict by a prominent Saudi cleric suggesting liberals are not real Muslims has inflamed debate over reforms in the country, with self-professed liberals fearing they will be attacked.

Responding to an online request for a religious edict, or fatwa, Shaikh Saleh Al Fozan said last month: "Calling oneself a liberal Muslim is a contradiction in terms ... one should repent before God for such ideas in order to be a real Muslim".

The fatwa said liberal in this context meant "freedom which is not subject to the bounds of Sharia."

Al Fozan was recently forced to issue a clarification in Al Riyadh after Islamists hailed the fatwa as a declaration that liberals are infidels.

Tags: culture, muslim, islam, liberal, contradiction, violence, edict, saudi arabia, religion

Families 'will refuse to hire a Saudi housekeeper'

Wed, 27 Jun 2007 08:31:43 GMT

clipped by: Deepti
clipper's remarks: "Not a long time ago, Al-Riyadh, the Arabic newspaper published an advertisement stating, 'Saudi female house manager ...wanted,' at that time many people expressed their anger about it and asked: Have Saudi women reached the point where they have to work as housemaids?"

whats so special about Saudi women? what do they have that women from other Asian countries dont have?

Clip Source: www.gulfnews.com

Owners of recruitment offices for housemaids in Saudi Arabia have dismissed the labour ministry's plan to get Saudi women to work as housekeepers in an attempt to solve a shortage of maids after some Asian countries raised the minimum wage.

"Saudi families will refuse to hire a Saudi maid as these families are psychologically not accustomed to them and at the same time ... the issue requires the introduction of a new 'societal culture', despite that some poor Saudi women may reluctantly agree to work in rich family households," owners of recruitment offices for housemaids said in a statement to Gulf News.

A report by a Saudi newspaper said that the Ministry of Labour and the Ministry of Social Affairs are planning to encourage Saudi women to work as housekeepers

the Saudisation of housemaids is very difficult.

Tags: saudi arabia, culture, islam, arab, women, female, maids, asia, minimum wage

Rushdie knighthood is justification for suicide attacks, says minister

Tue, 19 Jun 2007 08:57:51 GMT

clipped by: Deepti
clipper's remarks:
I can't get over the fact that a parliamentarian said that....

Clip Source: www.gulfnews.com

Britain's award of a knighthood to author Salman Rushdie is an affront to Muslim sentiments, and a Cabinet minister said the honour provided a justification for suicide attacks.

"This is an occasion for the (world's) 1.5 billion Muslims to look at the seriousness of this decision," Mohammad Ijaz Ul-Haq, religious affairs minister, said in parliament.

"The West is accusing Muslims of extremism and terrorism. If someone exploded a bomb on his body he would be right to do so unless the British government apologises and withdraws the 'sir' title," the minister said

Tags: pakistan, stupidity, knighthood, salman, rushdie, author, knight, muslims, islam