The Muslim community of Lilongwe, Malawi hosted the 5^th biennial Southern African ulama conference over the first weekend of May.

Two representatives from the Eastern Cape Ulama Council joined the forty strong South African delegation to Malawi. A total of 160 ulama from various countries in Southern Africa attended this forum with the intention of “establishing a collaborative relationship between Ulama within the Southern African region.”

The conference constituted discussing the challenges Muslims in each of the countries were facing and finding solutions for them.

Also, presentations on a myriad of current issues were undertaken to give greater insight into the respective topics. These power point presentations were well conducted and dealt with challenges faced on the social and academic levels.

Topics included Islam in prisons, the influence of the media, arbitration and faskh committees, problems facing the youth, social and welfare problems, to mention but a few.

Time was awarded for open discussion, where any topics not discussed in the program could be brought up.

Representatives from most Ulama bodies  were present and had a chance to interact with one another allowing Muslim organisations  to work hand in hand to uplift the Muslim community.

By Moulana Yusuf Bemath

A new and much-needed Salaah facility has opened at Port Elizabeth Airport. It caters for males and females and has Wudhu facilities as well. The Council of Ulama Eastern Cape (CUEC) was consulted on the planning phases and was instrumental in getting permission for the facilities.

Members of the CUEC officially opened the facilities. Muslim tourists and journalists will be able to make use of the Musalla. It also adds convenience for local Muslims and their families when leaving for Hajj and Umrah, as well as Muslims travelling within South Africa.

The Musalla serves as a visible sign of Islam at a venue which sees a large number of non-Muslims passing through daily.

The Musalla is situated upstairs at Departures

Half a century of scientific research shows that a healthy breakfast is the most important meal of the day. It has been linked with less chronic disease, increased longevity and better health. A good breakfast kick starts your body metabolism boosts your energy, increases your attention span, heightens your sense of well-being and puts you in better control of your emotions. A good breakfast is one that provides at least one third of the day's calories. When you get up in the morning, your glucose or blood sugar level is at its lowest point in the day. Glucose is the basic fuel for the brain and central nervous system.

Breakfast meals vary widely in different cultures around the world but often include a carbohydrate such as cereal or rice, fruits and/or vegetables, protein, sometimes a dairy product and a healthy drink. Muslims are governed by the various injunctions of dietary laws enshrined in the Noble Quran one of which reads "...eat of what is on the earth, lawful and good..." Chapter 2, Verse 168

Cereals certainly live up to their billing as a nutritious source of breakfast fuel for our bodies and several brands have met SANHA's stringent Halaal certification standards. For a list of SANHA Halaal Certified cereals, click here.

The Naivasha Agreement of 2005 also known as the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) was entered into in Kenya between the Sudanese Government on one hand, and the Sudanese People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM).

The CPA had two main parts namely: conducting general elections as the first step followed by a referendum scheduled for 2011 for South Sudan to decide whether to continue as part of the continent’s largest country or secede to become a new nation.
 
The first step is well underway. The people of Sudan have been to the polls for the past five days. Preliminary reviews indicate that the access to the polls were, large and by, peaceful and also that the irregularities were chiefly administrative rather than a carefully executed plan to rig.

As usual, in the days to come, we shall hear from those who did not realise their dreams crying foul and all the things that characterise election results especially for a country like Sudan which has had no elections in almost a generation.

When all this is history, and it will not be long from now, sharp focus will be on the second part of the CPA: the 2011 referendum in the south.

Video that shows American soldiers killing innocent civilians in cold-blood. Wikileaks obtained and decrypted this video footage from a US Apache helicopter in 2007. It shows Reuters journalist Namir Noor-Eldeen, driver Saeed Chmagh, and several others as the Apache shoots and kills them in a public square in Eastern Baghdad.