More US Muslims Favour Bush
Washington D.C. : An opinion poll among US Muslims shows that George Bush is likely to corner majority of votes of Muslims and the Arab-Americans in the US election due on November 7. The survey conducted by Council for American-Islamic Relation (CAIR), a Muslim advocacy group contacted 1,022 US Muslim voters and found 40 per cent favouring George Bush while Al-Gore trailed far behind another insignificant third candidate from the consumerist lobby Ralph Nader. Most Muslims favoured Bush’s clear stand on elimination of racial discrimination and secret inquiry against those seeking immigrations from the Muslim nations.
Muslims votes are crucial in Michigan which has over two lakh Muslims and four lakh Arab-Americans, among whom a sizeable number are Christians. Trends show that support for Bush has been growing among Muslims over the last few months. In June 2000, only 28 per cent of those who gave opinion had favoured Bush.
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Muslims Sportsmen Won 16 Gold Medals at Sydney
Sydney : The Muslims sports person won 16 gold medals in the Olympic Games concluded here last month. Twelve others were given silver medals while 15 bronzes were claimed by sportsmen from Muslim and other countries. Among the winners of gold medals was a woman from Algeria. Gold winners were Yermankhanov Ibraimov and Behzat Sattarkhanov (both Boxing from Kazakhstan); Muhammadkadyz Abdullaer (Boxing-Uzbekistan); Alireza Dabir (Freestyle wrestling-Iran); Brahim Asloun (Boxing-France); Saghid Montasaliyer and Mourat Kardanov (Greco-Roman Wrestling -Russia); Naim Abdullayer (Freestyle wrestling-Azerbaijan); Hamza Yerlikaya (Greco-Roman Wrestling -Turkey); Hussain Razazadeh and Hussain Tavakoli (Weightlifting-Turkey); Hussain Ozkan (Judo-Turkey) and Haleel Mothe (Weightlifting-Turkey); Mourad Oumakhanov (Freestyle Wrestling - Russia); Nouria Berida (Women’s 1500 mts. - Algeria); Hendrowan (Badminton - Indonesia)
As for silver medals, Ali Saidi-Seif of Algeria won the second position in 5000 metre race; Mukhtarkhan Dildabekov and Bulat Jamadilov (Boxing-Kazakhstan); Islam Basramkov (Wrestling-Kazakhstan); Hicham El Guerrouj (1500 mt race-Morocco); Hadi Somaili (400mt hurdles-Saudi Arabia);Faisal Ebonou-Talib (Taekwondo-Germany); Larbi BenbouDaoud (Judo-France); Gaiderbek Gaiderbekov (Boxing-Dagestan, Russia); Sultanahmed Ibzagimov (Boxing-Russia); Minarti Timur (Badminton-Indonesia); Artur Taymazar (Wrestling-Uzbekistan).
Among the 15 Muslim sports persons winning the bronze medals is a woman Nouzha Bidoune from Morocco who was placed third in the 400mt hurdles for women. Sportsmen from Morocco, Macedonia, Algeria, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Iran, Kazakhstan, Algeria, Kuwait, Ethiopia, Qatar, Indonesia were included in this category.
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Intifada's Young Martyr
The Palestinians had a foretaste of what a demilitarised Palestine would be as stone throwing mobs face barbaric assault of Israeli forces
The Oslo Accord lay in tatters as US-foisted equilibrium in Palestine was shattered last month. Israeli tanks were out on the streets of Nablus, Ramallah and Hebron and Helicopter mounted gunship fired on crowds of unarmed Palestinian protesters. It was the second coming of Intifada in the occupied Palestine. The man who ignited this all was hawkish Israeli Opposition leader Ariel Sharon whose visit to the Temple Mount within the Al-Aqsa complex and irresponsible statements on Jerusalem triggered fears of the Palestinians being denied the Holy city.
The peace in the Aqsa complex was broken by gunshots, screams, wailing sirens of ambulances and cries of the injured. Israelis killed nearly 100 stone-throwing Arab youth and the two Israeli cops were killed by Palestinians in a Palestinian Authority controlled area. Three Israeli soldiers were nabbed by the Hezbollahs in Southern Lebanon vacated by the Israeli occupation in May last, provoking warnings of bombings over Beirut by Tel Aviv.
France moved a resolution in the UN Security Council condemning Israel. The UN passed the resolution 14-0 with the US abstaining from it. Demonstrations were held in Chicago, New York, Montreal, Los Angeles, Houston and New Haven. Collection boxes for the Palestinians popped us in mosques all across the Arab-Muslim world. Kuwait flew in 10 tons of medicine while Turkey sent an emergency aid of US $ 5 lakh.
Holy Land Foundation Hospital reported that 65% injuries were on chest, a clear indication of use of deadly force. Israeli attackers even killed drivers of ambulances of Red Crescent Society. A siege was laid around Al-Makassid Hospital.
The violence is traceable to the Israeli obduracy in yielding Jerusalem to Palestine. The current Israeli stance is to allow Palestinians control over the mosque but not sovereignty. But the Palestinians refuse to compromise on anything less than full sovereignty and control over East Jerusalem.
Amid all this impasse on peace and mayhem on streets, 12-year old Muhammad Al-Dourah emerged as the latest martyr at the hands of the Israeli army. A French TV cameraman captured the barbarous assault on the cowering, cringing boy behind the protective shield of his father Jamal-al-Dourah. The duo were out to buy a used car and were caught in a crossfire on the junction of roads to Gaza-Khan Younis and the road to Jewish colony of Netzarim.
The Israeli soldiers hit Muhammad in the abdomen a moment after he told his father: “Don’t worry daddy, the ambulance will come and rescue us.”
Help did come. But only after an hour and much after Muhammad had fallen a martyr in the cause of a small, much fragmented, yet independent Palestine. The French TV footage was in circulation over the net. The Israeli army initially refused responsibility for his killing but later said: “Someone who goes to such a place risks his life.” According to the Time magazine, the Israeli construction company where Jamal worked, offered to pay for his (Jamal’s) treatment, but Jamal refused the money.
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Situation in Afghanistan much Worse that Soviet Occupation
Makkah : The well-known Arab writer Dr. Muhammad Abdu Yamani, has said that what is going on now in Afghanistan by way of destruction and mayhem is much worse than what happened when the Communists invaded the country. He went on to say that the war in that country, which includes attacks on villages and the killing of villagers, is not Jihad, but a curse, and those responsible would be answerable to Allah for what has been happening.
Dr. Yamani said: “We are pained by what is happening, but alas, there is nothing we could do except to beseech Allah’s help.”
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Islamic Centre in Argentina
Buenos Aires : The King Fahd Islamic Centre and Mosque were inaugurated here in the first week of October by Saudi Crown Prince Abdullah. The ceremony was attended by Argentine President Fernando and former president Carlos Menem. The Mosque and the Center are situated on a 36,000-metre area with schools, library, sport halls, auditorium etc. It was built at a cost of $ 22 million. Argentina has a Muslim population which had fled Spain after the end of Muslim rule in 1492 following inquisition against Muslims and Jews. Incidentally Carlos Menem belonged to this tiny Muslim community. He had converted to Christianity as Argentina constitution lays down the condition of the candidate for the country’s top post to be a Roman Catholic.
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Saudi Ban on Ann Summers group
Dubai : Saudi Arabia has banned the import of any products by Britain’s Ann Summers Group, a major purveyor of erotic products from handcuffs to lingerie, a Saudi newspaper reported on Thursday. Al-Eqtisadiah quoted commerce ministry under-secretary Mohammad Qaroub as saying the ban was issued following reports that the British company was looking to expand operations in the Middle East and open shops in several countries, including Saudi Arabia. They said stores were planned for the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, Palestine, Israel and Egypt.
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UK Go-ahead for Muslim School
London : British Ministry of Education has given the go-ahead for the establishment of the first Muslim secondary school in Bradford. The estimated cost of the school is said to be in the region of UK pound 5 million.
It has been confirmed that the Muslim girls’ secondary school would be built on the piece of land that was formerly the Roman Catholic school. The minister said the idea was broached six year ago, but the government was not amenable to it, but has now finally agreed to give its consent to its establishment.
Several more applications are pending for the establishment of such Muslim girls secondary school in the Bradford area, in view of the increasing number of Muslims in this area.
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MWL Criticizes Italian Archbishop
Rome : The Secretary-General of the Muslim World League, Dr. Abdullah Saleh Al-Obeid has expressed his dismay at the pronouncements made by the Archbishop of Bologna, north Italy, Cardinal Jaco, who had strongly criticized the presence of Muslims in Italy and attacked the country’s immigration laws, in an attempt to incite the political forces, by taking advantage of the impending legislative elections.
Dr. Obeid criticized the Archbishop for what he said during an Italian TV interview on in which he disparaged Muslim laws relating to family matters, the issue of the woman in Islam, polygamy, and other tenets of the Islamic Sharia. It is the same church leader who, ten years ago, had said that Europe should either become absolutely Christian immediately or face the possibility of becoming Islamized. Dr. Obeid criticized this stance, saying that this was incitement against Islam and Muslims.
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Home for the Aged in Makkah
Makkah : The Bir Society intends to set up a Home for the Aged here to take care for the elderly who have no families to care for them, according to a committee member Ahmed Muhammad Said Eid. The Home would be built on a piece of land that has been donated by Abdul Rahman Muhammad Wazzan, for this purpose, said Eid, adding that the Home would also have a kidney dialysis center and facilities.
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Tokyo Mosque Rebuilt
Tokyo : The Japanese capital’s only mosque was rebuilt and reconsecrated last month. The Friday prayers were led by Mohammet Nuri Yilmaz, president of the Religious Affairs Association of Turkey. The mosque was first constructed in 1938 by Turk businessmen from Russia who fled the country and sought asylum in Japan. It was under the care of Turkish embassy in Japan. It was pulled down in 1986 in order to expand the floor space area in view of paucity of space.
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Obituary
Dr. Abdul Karim Gai
Dakar : Dr. Ahmad Karim Gai, former secretary general of the Organisation of Islamic Conference (OIC) died here last month. He held OIC post during 1975-80. He was 87.
He was a veterinary doctor and had held several important political, ministerial, and administrative positions in Senegal and France, before the former got its independence. His son Gen. Abubakar Gai is the present chief of staff in Senegal.
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