Non-Muslims turning to Sharia courts to resolve civil disputes

Sheikh Suhaib Hasan, of the Islamic Sharia Council, says problems such as knife crime would be resolved if Britain implemented Islamic penal codes

 

Fiona Hamilton, London Correspondent

Increasing numbers of non-Muslims are turning to Sharia courts to resolve commercial disputes and other civil matters, The Times has learnt.

The Muslim Arbitration Tribunal (MAT) said that 5 per cent of its cases involved non-Muslims who were using the courts because they were less cumbersome and more informal than the English legal system.

Freed Chedie, a spokesman for Sheikh Faiz-ul-Aqtab Siqqiqi, a barrister who set up the tribunal, said: “We put weight on oral agreements, whereas the British courts do not.”

In a case last month a non-Muslim Briton took his Muslim business partner to the tribunal to sort out a dispute over the profits in their car fleet company. “The non-Muslim claimed that there had been an oral agreement between the pair,” said Mr Chedie. “The tribunal found that because of certain things the Muslim man did, that agreement had existed. The non-Muslim was awarded £48,000.”

He said that the tribunal had adjudicated on at least 20 cases involving non-Muslims so far this year. The rulings of the tribunal are legally binding, provided that both parties agree to that condition at the beginning of any hearing.

Anti-Sharia campaigners, who claim that the Islamic system is radical and biased against women, expressed alarm at the news. Denis MacEoin, who wrote a recent report for the think-tank Civitas examining the spread of Sharia in Britain, said that MAT’s claims about non-Muslim clients “raises all sorts of questions”.

He added: “You really need to ask why. What advantages could that possibly have for them going to an Islamic court? Any [Sharia] court is going to be implementing aspects of a law that runs contrary to British law, because of the way it treats women for example.”

Inayat Bunglawala, a spokesman for the Muslim Council of Britain, said that organisations should be free to conduct arbitration under Sharia, provided that it did not infringe British law and was a voluntary process.

Baroness Warsi, the Shadow Minister for Community Cohesion and Social Action, who is Muslim, said that there were many forums for arbitration and alternative dispute resolution in Britain. “There is no problem with that, as long as it is always subject to English law,” she said.

The Times has also learnt that the MAT is planning to triple the number of its courts by setting up in ten new British cities by the end of the year. It will expand its network further by acting as an advisory body to dozens of other Islamic courts, with the intention of achieving national consensus over rulings and procedures.

Although Sharia courts have been operating in the civil jurisdiction since the early 1980s, they have been doing so only in the shadows and in an ad-hoc fashion. The Civitas report estimated that there were 85 Sharia councils in Britain.

As such, if the MAT was successful in bringing a number of the existing councils into line with its own courts, it would in effect create Britain’s largest national co-operative of tribunals.

Mr Chedie said that the plan would legitimise Sharia because all the courts under its umbrella would be “consistent in their rulings”. The MAT, which has legal legitimacy under the Arbitration Act 1996, already operates in London, Birmingham, Bradford, Manchester and Nuneaton, Warwickshire. At its annual conference in October it will decide its ten new locations, which are likely to include Leeds, Luton, Blackburn, Stoke and Glasgow.

The tribunal is inviting 24 Sharia councils to attend the conference so that it can train them on procedures and rulings in an attempt to achieve national consistency. Most Sharia courts deal only with divorce and family disputes but the MAT also rules on commercial matters and mediates over forced marriages and domestic violence.

Mr Chedie said: “We would train most of the imams so that a lady in Glasgow would receive the same form of service as a lady in London. Sharia councils are already falling into line under us. There is hysterial and inherent prejudice against Sharia, but the overwhelming opinion of the judiciary is that English law and Sharia are compatible. It is only people at the right end of the political spectrum who are scaremongering.” Mr Chedie argued that the legitimacy of the MAT was further enhanced because non-Muslims had started to use it for arbitration.

Mr MacEoin said he was sceptical that the MAT could achieve unity because there were several different schools of thought when it came to Islamic law. He added that the Muslim community was already deeply divided over ideology.

Source

A film about the Prophet Mohammad backed by the producer of “The Lord of the Rings” and “The Matrix” is under discussion, a Qatar media firm said on Sunday, with the aim of creating an English-language blockbuster for the world’s 1.5 billion Muslims.

Filming of the $150 million movie is set to start in 2011, with Barrie Osborne as its producer, Alnoor Holdings said.

Alnoor said the film - in which the Prophet would not be depicted, in accordance with Islamic strictures - was in development and talks were being held with studios, talent agencies and distributors in the United States and Britain.

The company launched a $200-million international film fund on Oct. 31 to invest in film projects amid tight financing in the wake of the financial crisis and plans to focus on Hollywood.

Alnoor said it aimed to attract the “best international talent” to star in the motion picture.
The company was set up this year to take advantage of economic opportunities in the entertainment industry, focusing on international film production, Arabic production and animation.

Source

Imran Khan for Pakistan President!

Tonight, one of AlMaghrib Institute’s newest classes will be coming to Qabeelat Nurayn in Fairfax, Virginia: A Heart Serene - Purification of the Soul taught by Shaykh Riad Ouarzazi. Everyone who has taken the class previously at other locations has loved it and the reviews are amazing masha’Allah!

The class focuses on purification of the soul, how to find peace in your worship to Allah (swt), how to cleanse your heart of the soul’s diseases and taste the sweetness of true submission to Allah (swt).

If you want to find happiness, if you want to pray because you want to love to pray, if you want to get your heart closer to Allah (swt), if you want to be sincere in life, and much more than this class is for YOU!

Much of the class will be derived from the text of the scholar of the heart, Ibn ul-Qayyim al-Jawziyyah. Come learn about the knowledge of the soul and lear how the believer can become close to The Creator of the Worlds.

Tonight is FREE FRIDAY! Bring everonye you know, all your friends and family!
Where: Enterprise Room 80  - George Mason University - Fairfax, Virginia                                                              When: 7 PM

For more information on the class please visit:

http://almaghrib.org/virginia

See you there insha’Allah!

Mecca super-hotel to offer spa, butler and a chocolate room

Luxury developments at holy site raise concerns hajj will become preserve of elite

by Riazat Butt, religious affairs correspondent, guardian.co.uk

An artist’s impression of the proposed super-hotel in Mecca. Photograph: Raffles Hotels and Resorts

The pilgrimage to Mecca has always involved hardship and sacrifice, whether months spent travelling on foot through barren valleys and sleeping in the open with no shelter from the elements or stripping oneself of earthly trappings. But help is at hand for the pilgrim who cannot bear to be without comfort while executing the fifth pillar of Islam.

Raffles, which gave thirsty wanderers the Singapore Sling, is opening a luxury hotel in Mecca offering pilgrims a coffee sommelier, a chocolate room where chefs will prepare bespoke pralines and truffles, and a 24-hour butler service.

Undeterred by restrictions on beautifying oneself during the Hajj, the hotel will also have segregated gyms, beauty parlours, grooming salons and a spa.

There are strict rules regarding personal hygiene and behaviour during the hajj, and forbidden activities include sex, the cutting of hair and nails and the trimming of beards. These bars are lifted once certain rituals are complete, but Muslims are generally expected to forget worldly thoughts and activities and focus on the divine.

Mohammed Arkobi, the general manager of the new hotel, did not explain how a chocolate room and spa would help pilgrims achieve spiritual fulfilment. Nor was he able to comment on how the amenities complied with the ethos of the hajj, which is about simplicity and humility.

But he did say that the “comprehensive range of services” were designed to meet the needs of the “discerning” travellers they were targeting.

“Ultimately, the hotel’s sophisticated ambience, our range of features and highly personalised service delivery such as those offered through our 24-hour butler service will help to ensure that our residents’ overall experience will be enriching.”

Arkobi said the hotel was a three-minute walk away from the Grand Mosque, the Masjid al-Haram, and that a “spacious outdoor dining terrace” would provide direct views of it.

It is being developed by the Saudi Binladin Company, one of the largest construction firms in the Arab world, which has also been responsible for overseeing the expansion of the holy mosques in Mecca and Medina. The company was set up by Mohammed bin Laden, father of Osama, although the family is now estranged from its most infamous son.

Around 4 million people visit Mecca for hajj, with millions more passing through the rest of the year to perform the lesser pilgrimage. Estimates for future numbers vary wildly – from 10 million to 20 million – and the landscape of Mecca has undergone a dramatic transformation over the decades to cope with demand. Homes have been bulldozed, mountains flattened and historic sites razed to provide more hotel rooms and amenities.

One development that will dominate the skyline and the Grand Mosque is the Makkah Royal Clock Tower, operated by international hoteliers Fairmont, which is majority owned by a company chaired by HRH Prince Alwaleed bin Talal bin Abdulaziz Alsaud, the Saudi king’s nephew.

The tower will be among the tallest in the world, 577 metres (1,893ft) high on completion, and its dimensions, including a clockface measuring 40 metres across that will be visible 10 miles away, make it five times larger than Big Ben.

In addition to 1,005 guest rooms, the tower will also house a lunar observation centre and Islamic museum. It lies in the massive Abraj Al Bait complex, part of the King Abdul Aziz endowment project aimed at upgrading the precincts of Mecca and Medina.

Mecca’s makeover is alarming international activists, such as Ali al-Ahmed, the director of the Washington-based Institute for Gulf Affairs, a thinktank analysing events and issues in the region. Ahmed, an outspoken critic of the Saudi regime, said many factors were driving the changes.

“The al-Sauds want to make Mecca like Dubai, it is a money-making operation. They destroy ancient buildings because they do not want any history other than their own, they see it as competition. They destroy and dispose of artefacts.”

He also expressed concern that the arrival of luxury brands would increase the price of a pilgrimage. A 2009 platinum Hajj package from a UK tour operator costs £6,400 for 16 nights full board, based on double occupancy.

“By developing Mecca in this way they are making it inaccessible and unaffordable for the majority of Muslims. It will only be for the elite,” Ahmed said.

The city’s increasing westernisation was a “perversion of the religion“, encouraging activities that were at odds with the spirit of the hajj, he said.

“The Saudis may come across as austere but members of the ruling class have billions of dollars between them – even the muftis live in palaces with chandeliers.”

Development of the holy cities of Mecca and Medina should not come at the expense of religious practice, he said, before turning his attention to the lack of protest from Muslims around the world.

“Let’s take Jerusalem as an example. Muslims are outraged when Israelis do something in the Old City, but in Mecca things are being systematically destroyed and nobody is raising an eyebrow. It is a catastrophe.”

Raffles Mecca is due to open in April 2010.

Turning to Mecca

Mecca, or Makkah al Mukarrama, has a population of 1.7m but visitors swell its streets all year round.

According to Islamic tradition, Muhammad was born in Mecca, and it is said to be the place where Allah’s message was first revealed to him.

Each day Muslims from around the world turn to Mecca to pray and, at least once in their lives if they can afford it, they travel there to perform the hajj.

At the heart of Mecca’s Grand Mosque is the Kaaba, a large stone structure constituting of a single room with a marble floor. It stands around 60 feet high and each side is approximately 60 feet in length. The Qur’an says that Ibrahim and his son Ishmael were the founders of the Kaaba, building the shrine dedicated to the worship of Allah.

Even before its association, the city was still a focal point in the region. In ancient times it was a staging post on the trade route linking the spice producers of the east with Mesopotamia and the Mediterranean. Its reputation as a commercial centre continues today. Malls and markets line the city’s roads and alleys, fighting for attention.

Source

ILMFEST 2009!!!

It once touched the hearts of Toronto, lifted the spirits of Chicago, then enlightened the minds of New York. This year, it will enrich the souls of the Greater DC Area as its effects reach attendees from around the globe.

We welcome you to an unforgettable event, a weekend etched unto the pages of history as a revolutionary gathering that revitalized your eman and gave your soul a rush, inshaAllah. IlmFest 2009 is proudly hosted by Qabeelat Nurayn in Baltimore, MD.

Prepare yourself to experience a life-changing event that will leave you in tears and make you refocus your life so you can taste the sweetness of your Islam and eman, insha’Allah! Walk away with endless of lessons helping you change your life to help spread this deen and live it to the fullest.

Sit and learn from the some of the greatest scholars, thinkers and intellectuals of our age. You’ll leave the weekend with priceless ilm, lessons, ideas that you can practically apply in your life and share with your communities. Absorb knowledge that will equip you to spread the light of Islam to the best of your ability, learn the facts and the history that will demonstrate Islam is for all ages and times, and increase your understanding so you can effectively relay the message that Islam is timeless!”

ILMFEST 2009 TRAILER:

SHAYKH YASIR QADHI TALKS ABOUT ILMFEST:

BABA ALI INVITES YOU TO ILMFEST:

CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFORMATION

CLICK HERE TO REGISTER FOR ILMFEST

Masha’Allah its a very beautiful masjid BUT when I saw this, the saying of the Prophet’s (sal Allahu alayhi wasallam) Companion, Abu Darda came to mind: “If you decorate your mosques and mushaf then destruction will befall you.” And we see nowadays that the Muslim Ummah are doing these things and the state of the Muslims is very poor sadly. May Allah (swt) help the Ummah come back to success, ameen.

Some random facts about the mosque:

Shaikh Zayed Mosque, one of the largest in the world and an architectural wonder.

* The mosque has the world’s largest carpet at 7,119 square metres from Iran.
* The world’s largest chandelier from Germany made from one million Swarovski crystals.
* It has 28 types of marble and 24-carat gold throughout.
* The 22,412 square metre mosque site equates to around the size of five football fields.
* More than 3,000 workers and 38 renowned contracting companies took part in the construction work.
* The mosque has 82 domes all of traditional Moroccan design - all decorated with white marble.
* The main dome’s outer shell is 32.8 metres in diameter and stands at a height of 70 metres from the inside and 85 metres from the outside.
* Officially opened in the month of Ramadan 2007 (December 2007).
* Largest mosque in Arab Emirates, sixth largest in the world, fulfills the dream of the late Shaikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan.
* Shaikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan is buried in the courtyard of the Mosque.
* Completed in 12 years at a cost of $550 million.
* Considered one of the 10 largest mosques in the world.
* Mosque has a capacity to accommodate 40,000 worshippers, the main prayer hall can accommodate up to 9,000 worshippers, two halls next to the main prayer hall has a capacity of 1,500 each, exclusively for women.

The mosque has achieved three entries into the Guinness Book of World Records with the largest carpet, the biggest chandelier as well as the largest dome of its kind in the world:

Biggest Carpet: The centrepiece is a 6,000 square metre (64,583 square feet) hand-made Persian carpet, said to be the biggest in the world. 1200 Iranian women spent 2 years weaving the carpet, weighing in at a huge 45 tonnes. The carpet covers the floor of the main prayer hall at the Sheikh Zayed Mosque, which can accommodate up to 9,000 worshippers.

Biggest Dome: The main dome is also “the biggest” mosque dome in the world, 75 metres (246 feet) high with a 32.2-metre (105.6 feet) diameter.

Biggest Chandelier: One of seven German-made chandeliers. It is 10-metre (32.8 feet) tall, 10-metre wide and weighs nine tonnes.

May Allah (swt) keep him steadfast upon the deen and increase him in ilm and eman, ameen.