Turks move to ease headscarf ban February 7th, 2008

The ban on headscarves which has been a feature of secular Turkey ever since its inception has been overturned.

Turkey’s parliament has approved a constitutional amendment that would ease the ban on women wearing Islamic headscarves in universities.

Headscarves were banned from campuses after pressure from the staunchly secularist military ousted a government seen as too Islamist in 1997.

Wednesday’s vote was carried by 397 in favour to 113 against. Final approval is expected in a vote on Saturday.

The Islamist-rooted AK Party has a safe majority in the Turkish parliament.

It is very good news indeed and alhamdulillah, I am very happy with this outcome. It will not be long before the scourge of Kemalism is wiped out from the annals of Turkish history. We hope that this vision will come sooner rather than later.

Posted in Activism | 1 Comment »

Muslim graves latest target of Austria extremists February 7th, 2008

Islamophobia rearing its ugly head, this time in Austria.

Vandals damaged or destroyed dozens of graves belonging to Muslims in the Austrian city of Graz, heightening tensions in the southern city where a local politician made disparaging comments about Prophet Muhammad (PBUH).

Police in Graz, about 200 kilometers (120 miles) south of Vienna, said about 60 gravestones belonging to Muslims were found overturned or broken in the central cemetery, but said it was unclear when the vandalism took place.

Officials said they could not rule out the possibility that extreme-right groups active in the city may have been behind the attack.

Read more..

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Federal Reserve and the dollar February 7th, 2008

Very interesting video which strengthens the case for the return to a gold standard.

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Subashini vs Saravanan update December 27th, 2007

12.05pm: Azmel FCJ concurs with Nik Hashim. Wife’s appeal dismissed by 2-1 majority.

12.03pm: Abdul Aziz allows substantive appeal by wife and also allows injunction except confirmation of conversion. But injunction applies in re husband seeking ancillary relief.

11.59am: High Court could and should have granted injunction against Syariah court to stop abuse of process and undermining divorce petition under section 51 of the 1976 Act. While conversion of child is valid injunction should be granted to stop conversion until objection by wife is heard and it is granted.

11.52am: Aziz FCJ said his judgment 110 pages long and so he is going to summarise it. Question of date of husband’s conversion needs to be tried. High Court has exclusive jurisdiction over civil marriage even though husband has converted. It’s abuse of process to file custody proceedings in Syariah courts in re civil marriage as those courts have no jurisdiction.

11.45am: Conversion of eldest son valid. Not abuse of process. Wife’s appeal dismissed with costs. Datuk Abdul Aziz’s judgment being read now.

Read more..

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Never forget November 30th, 2007

When I saw the results of the HINDRAF rally on Sunday last week (several knocked down dividers, trash strewn on the streets and four injured policemen later, that is), I am reminded of what their ideological cousins, the Hindu Kar Sevaks from the RSS, did to this masjid in Ayodhya, Uttar Pradesh state.

babri_rearview.jpg

Never forget what happened to the Babri Mosque.

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