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An unsual Muslim man with an unsual message for International Women's Day

In his message and in his practice the Prophet Muhammad (s) elevated the status of women in the context of his time and our time.  Here are some quotes from the Qur'an, the revealed words of God:-

  1. Women are a garment for you and you are a garment for them...(Qur'an 2:187)
  2. Our Lord! Grant us comfort of our eyes from our wives and offspring and gives us all (the grace) to be those who are examples of the righteous. (Qur'an 25:74)
  3. Consort with them (your wives) in kindness, for if you dislike something in them, it may be that you dislike a thing wherein God has placed much good. (Qur'an 4:19).
  4. Men are the protectors and maintainers of women....(Qur'an 4:34)
In his own words the Prophet (s) said:-

  1. The believer who has the most perfect faith is the one whose behaviour is best and the best of you are the ones who are best to their women. (At-Tirmidhi)
  2. No believing man should dislike a believing woman. If he dislikes one of her characteristics, there will be others that please him. (Muslim)
  3. The best of you is the best to his family and I am the best among you to my family (Imam Ahmad)
  4. Paradise lies at the feet of mothers (Nisa'i, Ibn Majah)
  5. It is the generous (in character) who is good to women and it is the wicked who insults them.
 International Women's Day (8 March) is a global day celebrating the economic, political and social achievements of women past, present and future. » Read More

Kuwait PM to visit Guyana in April

Kaieteur News Online is reporting that the Prime Minister of Kuwait, the world’s fourth-largest oil exporter, plans to visit Guyana this April, as Guyana and Kuwait look to increase trade and investment. The Prime Minister, Nasir al-Muhammad al-Ahmad al-Sabah, is planning the Guyana visit as part of a tour to Latin America and the Caribbean, a top Kuwaiti foreign affairs official told Kaieteur News yesterday.One of the outcomes of the Prime Minister’s visit could be the signing of the Guyana/Kuwait Double Taxation Agreement, said Abdulaziz al-Sallal, the leader of a Kuwaiti delegation in Guyana to finalise that agreement.

Negotiations of the agreement began in 2005, John Isaacs, the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said, and he welcomed the Kuwaiti commitment to have the contentious issues of the agreement settled in this round of negotiations. The agreement is to avoid tax being levied twice on the remuneration or any other money earned by a Guyanese or Kuwaiti.

A major goal of bilateral tax treaties is to remove impediments to international trade and investment by abating the risk of double taxation that can occur when both contracting states impose tax on the same income.  A bilateral tax treaty generally increases the extent to which exporters residing in one contracting state can engage in trading activity in the other contracting state without attracting tax liability in that latter.

Abdulaziz al-Sallal said the Guyana/Kuwait Double Taxation Agreement would provide a “proper environment” for investors. He said such an agreement would build on agreements signed between Guyana and Kuwait when President Bharrat Jagdeo visited last month.

Kuwaiti Minister of Finance Mustafa Al-Shimali and Guyana’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett, who accompanied President Jagdeo on his Middle East tour, had signed an agreement on encouraging bilateral investments. There were also agreements signed on political consultations and cultural relations. Rodrigues-Birkett had said all of this is being done as Guyana looks to create appropriate regimes for investment. As Guyana looks to start drilling for oil this year, she said it was important to learn from the experiences of countries which have done well in managing their oil wealth, such as Kuwait.

During President Jagdeo’s visit, Kuwait agreed to give Guyana US$10 million for infrastructure projects. That will most likely go towards developing new housing areas on the East Bank, where the government recently acquired 2,000 acres of land from the Guyana Sugar Corporation to develop 10,000 new house lots.

Guyana and Kuwait established diplomatic relations in 1975, and Guyana currently has US$50 million in debt to Kuwait.
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This is the story of Afro-American Muslims who served on the side of the British the Anglo American war of 1815 who were resettled in Trinidad.

Masjids and Halal Meat in Jamaica

Halal meat and foods can be found  at Central Masjid in Kingston and in the  Islamiyah Basic School Canteen.   There are 12 Masjids on the island under the umbrella organization the Islamic Council of Jamaica.  The Headoffice Address is at 24 Camp Road, Kingston 4, Kingston, Jamaica.  Telephone contact 1-876-928-1771 or 1-876-930-7756 or email islamjam@yahoo.com for further information on additional places you can find halal meat and masjid location outside of Kingston.  Information courtesy Sheikh Musa Tijani, Director of Dawah and Education.

Hosay in St Vincent

Hosay/Muharram, the Shia Muslim commemoration of the death of Hosein at Karbala  in 680 A.D., was last observed in the St. Joseph area in the 1930s. Informants can still recount the striking of brass cymbals, the beating of drums, the placing of ingredients into the taziya [imitation mausoleums] and the drowning of the taziya itself into a river (Personal interview with Dr. Earl Kirby, born 1922, St. Vincent and with Ms. Mary Ann Gopaul, op. cit.). 

Extracted from "Race retention and culture loss: South Asians/East Indians in St. Vincent By Kumar Mahabir.  This paper is based on an interview done in 1982 with a 93-year old Indian, Mr. James Woods of St. Vincent.  The interview was done with Mr. James Woods, born 1889, at his home in Richard Park, St. Vincent , on March 15, 1982 when Woods was 93 years old."
 

The Islands of the Bahamas is one of those places where the population of Muslims is less than 1%.  This size represents a huge challenge to those Muslims who are mostly converts to Islam and are striving to live by the tenets of Islam every single day.  There is one masjid (Muslim place of worship) which is still in the process of being built to completion and an effort is made to have the adhan (call to prayer) called for each salat (prayer) daily.  The website is intended as a means to communicate the Bahamian Muslim Community's activities to its national audience and to reach out to all internationally.  The website provides a history with an appendices of photos of some interesting historical documents dating to slavery times.  It keeps all informed about community activities, photos of the masjid, provides answers to frequently asked questions and where one can find halal meat.  You can visit the Bahamian Muslim Community in the virtual world by clicking the website or if your travels take you to the Bahamas why not visit the masjid.  There is a contact form on the website if you wish to obtain further information directly from the community.


The Trinidad Newsday online edition reported that Cedros, a fishing village in south-western Trinidad, held hosay festival celebrations.  Hosay is  well known  in St. James, a suburb of Port of Spain, Trinidad's capital city.  While the Guyana Chronicle laments that it is a "A Muslim custom on the verge of extinction here".

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