BRUNEI Sultan wants improved PS

The Sultan of Brunei has called for improvements in the Public Service during a national address on his 64th birthday.
   The Sultan said productivity and work ethics needed to be improved in the PS, particularly in the Departments of Health and Education.
   He called for Key Performance Indicators to be used to assess the strengths and weaknesses of the Public Service.
   “Through this methodology, we are able to measure to what extent can the public service carry out its responsibilities in meeting the demands of this country and the public,” The Sultan said.
   He said the Department of Health in particular needed to introduce assessments, especially for its medical professionals.
   “We do not want our hospitals to become frightening places just because the doctors always fail to provide their services.”
   He said in the Department of Education, new and effective techniques were needed but not at the expense of national priorities such as religious proficiency.
   The Sultan said that Muslim children in Brunei needed to be proficient in religion, and that to do so, the education system must prioritise religious education.
   He said that weak religious beliefs would thrust the nation into disaster and suggested that without strong religious restrictions, young people would become susceptible to crime and drugs.
   “This cannot be taken lightly,” he said.
   “As conscious people, we must remedy it and that remedy is religion.”

This is a great initiative but I hope they will focus on the core values of... Islam rather than sectarian Islam ..

Influential Saudi cleric says Muslim women can respect veil bans

A LEADING Saudi cleric has condemned France for moving to ban Muslim face veils, but approved of Muslim women foregoing veils when visiting a country which outlaws them.

"It is illogical and unreasonable that the French government undertakes such a thing, which is condemned by neutral people, not just Muslims, because the secular state assures freedom of religion," Sheikh Aed al-Qarni told Saudi paper Al-Hayat.

"The state has to respect religious rituals and beliefs, including those of Muslims," he said in an interview.

However, he added, if Muslim women are in a country that has banned the niqab, or full-face veil, or if they face harassment in such a place, "it is better that the Muslim woman uncovers her face."

Numerous scholars of various Islamic schools of thought agree on this point, Qarni said.


"We must not confront people in their own country or other countries, or bring hardship on ourselves."

His comments followed France's parliament voting on July 13 to ban the niqab. The French senate will vote on the measure in September, after which it could still be challenged on constitutional grounds.

I agree if they are just visitors but if they are citizens then they have all right to oppose it by all legitimate means .. 

UK politician warned of legal action if he will not meet with women in burqas

A BRITISH lawmaker has been warned he faces possible legal action if he carries out a threat to refuse to meet constituents wearing burqas.

Conservative politician Philip Hollobone has been warned that the Equality Act obliges him to avoid discrimination, , Sky News reported.

Civil rights campaign group Liberty has told him it "will be happy to represent any of your constituents that you refuse to meet because they are veiled."

Child bride law challenged in Nigeria

A Nigerian Islamic group has challenged a lawsuit against a senator who married a 13-year-old Egyptian girl.

While the government has issued the suit against Ahmed Sani Yerima for his marriage to the girl,
the Supreme Council for Sharia in Nigeria is seeking an order of the Federal High Court to restrain the government from taking action over the marriage.

The Supreme Council for Sharia enforces Islamic laws and stands outside the regular court system.

The government-backed National Human Rights Commission and the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficing in Persons had brought the lawsuit, which will be challenged on constitutional grounds.

According to the Supreme Council for Sharia, Muslim men in Nigeria are allowed to marry four wives without restriction on age, even a child in the womb of her mother.

The group has said the constitution guarantees the senator the right to practice his religion in the way and manner it is described.

Yerima, 49, the ex-governor of Muslim-dominated northwest Zamfara State, has slammed the Nigerian Child Rights Act of 2003 which forbids marriage to anyone under the age of 18, saying it contravenes the country's constitution which guarantees a citizen's rights to practice his religion. The case has been adjourned until October 21.

So that's how the Islamists will run their Islamic states according to Sharia?! I would be the first to flee such a state!

2 Muslim inmates sue prison Pair allege discrimination of faith by failure of State Correctional Institution at Retreat to provide special food for Islamic holidays.

SCRANTON – Two Muslim inmates at the State Correctional Institution at Retreat have filed a federal lawsuit against the prison, alleging officials are discriminating against members of their faith by failing to provide specialized food to celebrate two Islamic holidays. Inmates Ronald Banks and Ravanna Spencer claim the prison provides special food to Christian inmates in celebration of the Easter and Christmas holidays, but has refused to do the same for indigent Muslim inmates who wish to celebrate Ramadan and Hajj.

Syria bans face veils (Niqab) at universities

DAMASCUS, Syria -- Syria has banned the face-covering Islamic veil from the country's universities. The Education Ministry's ban on the niqab comes as similar moves in Europe spark cries of discrimination against Muslims. An official at the ministry says the ban affects public and private universities and aims to protect Syria's secular identity.

However, Aljazeera reported that the officials claim the ban has nothing to do with the latests bans of Niqab in Europe, according to Aljazeera the official claims the main reason for the ban is to maintain the integrity of the education system especially the examination process because some students wear Niqab only during the exams so they can easily cheat.

Source: http://www.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/C4A10A55-E65D-4368-86A4-70EF582C16BE.htm?GoogleStatID=9

Allah The Most Merciful vs. Stonning To Death?

Stoning is the capital punishment in Judaism and Islam for a married person whether a male or a female who commits adultery. In Islam it is the only capital punishment which literally requires at least four credible eye-witnesses who have in person witnessed the actual penetration--this condition makes it almost impossible to be fulfilled in reality and that's a manifestation of the mercy of Allah but if it does happen then doesn't that mean that crime was carried out in public? wouldn't be some sort of exhibitionism? or was done with the intention of promoting it to the whole community instead of merely fulfilling the lust? I think if the condition has been met then the crime has had bypassed the personal level and became a public crime. Stonning to death is really a harsh punishment but so is any kind of execution, however its aim is not merely getting rid of the felon like other execution but obviously it aims to effectively deter people.


In the case of Ashtiani, I think the case needs a total review thus I signed the petition:
http://www.avaaz.org/en/stop_stoning/?cl=652818231&v=6766

"The authorities in Iran have announced that a woman convicted of adultery will not be stoned to death.

But it is not clear whether they have lifted the death sentence against Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani, who has been in prison in Tabriz since 2006.

The 43-year-old had already been punished with flogging for an "illicit relationship" outside marriage when another court tried her for adultery.

There has been an international campaign to prevent her being stoned."

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/world/middle_east/10565103.stm

"Your Freedom" Initiative, The UK government is keen in hearing the public out!

"We're working to create a more open and less intrusive society. We want to restore Britain’s traditions of freedom and fairness, and free our society of unnecessary laws and regulations – both for individuals and businesses.

This site gives you the chance to suggest how we can do this. Your ideas will inform government policy and some of your proposals could end up making it into bills we bring before Parliament to change the law.

So if there are any laws or regulations you'd like us to do away with, then first, check if there are any similar ideas here already and then add your comments to it and rate it to move it up the list. If it's not here, then add it!  And remember - we want you to suggest ideas for removing laws and regulations, rather than ideas for creating them."
I urge all Muslims of UK to speak out about their problems instead of moaning about the government among each other! This is a great chance to be heard out! Quit being pessimistic and skeptical and take it seriously, at the end of the day what will you lose?!

"Your Freedom" website: http://ping.fm/amRDT