A BIG MESSAGE for an upside down world » Difficult Questions

How Democratic Is The Muslim Brotherhood?

nuryn — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 20:12:31 +0000

A Powerful Force In Egyptian Politics

With its Freedom and Justice Party winning 47% of the votes in Egypt’s lower house, the Muslim Brotherhood has become a powerful force in Egyptian politics. In the run-up to the elections the Muslim Brotherhood and its political wing campaigned for a modern democratic state, though one based on Islamic sharia [...]

When Is A Fatwa Not A Fatwa?

yessir — Sun, 29 Jan 2012 20:12:49 +0000

Fatwa Or Just An Opinion?

Trust the outspoken Saudi cleric Sheikh Ahmed bin Qassim al-Ghamidi to come out with an answer to the question, “When is a fatwa not a fatwa?” When accused of violating Saudi King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz’s order against illegal issuance of fatwas, Sheikh Ahmed bin Qassim al-Ghamdi came up with this innovative defense [...]

Religious Intolerance In India’s Kashmir

musa — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 20:12:20 +0000

Actions Against Christian Priests, School Principal

Since the summer of 2011, a series of incidents taking place in the Indian-administered part of Kashmir in the northwestern region of the Indian subcontinent have led observers to believe religious intolerance is rearing its ugly head there.

Briefly, The Incidents Are As Follows:

During the summer months, an unspecified number of previously [...]

Carnita Matthews Denied Costs For Case Concerning Wearing Of A Burka

nuryn — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 20:12:38 +0000

Court Judgments

Carnita Matthews, whose case concerning the wearing of a burka has gone through three Australian courts, has lost the last round. She had first been convicted in 2010 of making a false statement to the police, but the conviction was overturned on appeal. She then applied for costs, but the judge has ruled against it.

Conviction [...]

Threats Of Arrest and Death Affect Ex-President Musharraf’s Plans To Return To Pakistan

nuryn — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 20:12:38 +0000

Plans To Return To Pakistan

Pervez Musharraf, the retired general and ex-President of Pakistan who has been in self-imposed exile in Dubai and London since April 2009, had announced that he would return to Pakistan to contest the next general elections. Intially he had planned to return in March. However, earlier this month, in a telephone address [...]

Appeals Court Declares Oklahoma’s Attempt To Ban Sharia Law Unconstitutional

nuryn — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 20:12:06 +0000

Second Blow To Attempt To Ban Sharia Law In Oklahoma

The people of Oklahoma have received a second blow to their attempt to block the state’s courts from considering international or Islamic law in their judgments. In November 2010 a referendum on a proposed constitutional amendment to introduce such a ban was backed by 70% of voters. [...]

Malaysia – Fatwa Says Human Milk Bank Is Haram

yessir — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 20:12:33 +0000

”Any Action That May Harm The Lineage Must Be Avoided”

Malaysia’s National Fatwa Committee of the National Council for Islamic Religious Affairs has just come out with a fatwa that declares the proposed human milk bank haram because of the danger that children fed with milk from the human milk bank may unwittingly end up marrying one another, an [...]

UNHRC – France Wrong Over Sikh Turban

yessir — Sun, 15 Jan 2012 20:12:14 +0000

No Turban, No Access To Public Health Care

A recent ruling by the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) says France is wrong to deny a Sikh man access to public health care system and social benefits – all because he refused to remove his turban for a photo to be taken for his residence card.

Ranjit Singh

In [...]

Gay Kenyans Duped Into Sex Slavery In Gulf States

musa — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 20:12:21 +0000

Go East, Young Men

IDENTITY, a gay magazine in the African country of Kenya, recently reported that gay Kenyan men had been sent to the affluent countries in the Persian Gulf as sex slaves for their male Arabic inhabitants.

These men did not go there with their eyes open. What they had contracted to do was to become [...]

Iran – To Stone Or To Hang Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani?

yessir — Sun, 01 Jan 2012 20:12:19 +0000

“Necessary Facilities” Lacking For Stoning

After keeping quiet about the fate of Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani, the Iranian authorities suddenly issued a statement saying that the stoning sentence passed on her could be substituted with a hanging sentence because the prison lacks the “necessary facilities” to execute a stoning sentence.

About The Case

In 2006, 44-year old Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani was [...]