PARIS – Amid a heated debate about the Muslim veil, the French Catholic church warned Monday, February 1, against banning face-veils, calling on the European country to respect rights of its Muslim minority.

"The result could be the opposite of what is desired and lead to a reaction that increases the number of women wearing this garment,” said Bishop Michel Santier, the top French Catholic official for interreligious dialogue in a statement cited by Reuters.

He said that very few women wore face-veil in the country.

“We should in our country respect the rights of all believers to practice their faith,” Santier said

A French parliamentary panel recommended last week slapping a partial ban on face-veils in hospitals, schools, public transport and government offices.

Santier regretted that the panel did not invite Christian or Jewish leaders to give their views during the six-month-long hearings, which ended in December.

French Jewish leaders have already expressed concern about a veil ban.

France has seen a heated debate on the face-veil since President Nicolas Sarkozy described it last June as being "unwelcome" in France.

On Sunday, Claude Gueant, a top aide to Sarkozy, said he doubted a total ban would be legally possible.

According to the Interior Ministry, only about 1,900 Muslim women are estimated to being using face-veils.

The European country is home to nearly seven million Muslims, the biggest Muslim minority in Europe.

A burqa is the all-enveloping cloak, often blue, with a woven grill over the eyes, that many Afghan women wear, and it is almost never seen in France.

The niqab, a garment that is often black, covers the face but leaves the eyes uncovered.

Respect Muslim Rights

The top Catholic Bishop urged the government to respect the rights of the Muslim minority.

"If we want Christian minorities in Muslim majority countries to enjoy all their rights, we should in our country respect the rights of all believers to practice their faith,” he said.

"The French, including the Catholics among them, should not let themselves be gripped by fear or a 'clash of civilisations' theory."

Santier also called on the government to distinct between the majority of peaceful Muslims and a minority of radicals.

"A dialogue in truth among believers will help us go beyond mutual mistrust,” he said.

“The path will be long and hard."

France banned hijab in schools and public places in 2004, with many European countries following suit.

While hijab is an obligatory code of dress for Muslim women, the majority of Muslim scholars agree that a woman is not obliged to wear the face veil.

Scholars believe it is up to women to decide whether to take on the veil or burka.

Prominent Muslim scholar Tariq Ramadan has said that the French debate on the wearing of burka reflects growing self-doubts inside the society.

Courtesy: Islam Online

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.