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News Archive

Ground zero is hallowed ground.

Ground Zero's Slave Graves

By Jen Phillips

I find the righteous outrage of those contending the former World Trade Center site is "hallowed ground" amusing, because they have no idea just how right they are. Before the World Trade Center was even designed (with Islamic architectural elements,incidentally), the ground was indeed sacrosanct: The bones of some 20,000 African slaves are buried 25 feet below Lower Manhattan. As at least 10 percent of West African slaves in America were Muslims, it's not out of bounds to extrapolate that ground zero itself was built on the bones of at least a few Muslim slaves. That is to say, hallowed Muslim ground.

The Big Picture from the Boston Globe

The Boston Globe features pictures of Muslims engaged in Ramadan 2010 activities. "Muslim men and women across the world are currently observing Ramadan, a month long celebration of self-purification and restraint. During Ramadan, the Muslim community fast, abstaining from food, drink, smoking and sex between sunrise and sunset. Muslims break their fast after sunset with an evening meal called Iftar, where a date is the first thing eaten followed by a traditional meal. During this time, Muslims are also encouraged to read the entire Quran, to give freely to those in need, and strengthen their ties to God through prayer. The goal of the fast is to teach humility, patience and sacrifice, and to ask forgiveness, practice self-restraint, and pray for guidance in the future. This year, Ramadan will continue until Thursday, September 9th." The Boston Globe 

Muslims of Trinidad given top national awards.

August 30th 2010: Mr. Kamaluddin Mohammed and the late Dr. Wahid Ali will be honoured with the nation’s highest award—Order of T&T—at tomorrow night’s Independence award ceremony. This was revealed by Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar.  Mr. Mohammed pioneering services to building the Muslim Community, the cultural heritage of the Indian indentured labourers and the nation of Trinidad and Tobago are widely acknowledged.  The mystery of this belated recognition is only relieved by the fact  that "Charch" [meaning uncle] as he is commonly known, will receive this honour while he is alive.  Journalist Jai Parasram paid fitting tribute to Mr. Mohammed in his blog [read it here]. 

 Mr. Kamaluddin Mohammed


Dr. Wahid Ali was praised by the Prime Minister for his courage who refused to accept the Trinity Cross in 1977 on the basis of conscience.Being of the Muslim faith Dr. Ali objected to the the title of the highest national award  was not representative of the multi-faith society of Trinidad and Tobago.  Dr Ali was persuaded by the then Prime Minister  Dr.Eric Williams to accept the award when he promised to change the award title.  Dr. Ali criticized both the Panday and Manning Administrations who subsequently failed to fullfill this promise more than two decades later.  The UK based the Law Lords of the Privy Council [in an action brought by the Maha Sabha] agreed that it was unconstitutional and against equity and fairness to force any one religion to accept the Trinity Cross. Hence the Order of Trinidad and Tobago was initiated.

 
 Dr. Wahid Ali
Dr Ali was a doctor of medicine. He was awarded the Clinical Prize in Surgery and the title Distinguished Graduate, UWI, in 1998. He was the first recipient of the Sir Thomas Taylor Award, as well as a gold medallist for public service by the Vishva Hindu Parishad. He was a former government senator and President of the Senate of Trinidad and Tobago, and the first president of the Inter-Religious Organisation. A past of both the President of the National Youth Council and the Trinidad and Tobago Muslim Youth Organization. Dr. Ali passed on in 2008 [read story here] additional details on his major life challenges can be read here.

Professor Zulaika Ali was awarded the Chaconia Medal [Silver], Dr. Nasser Mustapha was awarded the Humming Bird Medal [Silver] and Zakir Akaloo the Public Service Medal of Merit [Bronze]. 

Professor Zulaika Ali is Professor of Child Health (Neonatology) and Deputy Dean, Clinical Medical Sciences, Faculty of Medical Sciences, UWI St. Augustine.

In 2005, after four years of collaboration between herself and colleagues at Sick Kids Hospital, Toronto, Canada, she saw the launch of her brainchild – the UWI Telehealth Programme. Telehealth allows doctors at the Telehealth facility based at the Eric Williams Medical Sciences Complex and the Sick Kids Hospital to have consultations via a live video conference link.

Dr. Nasser Mustapha is currently the Head of Behavioural Sciences Department, The University of the West Indies, St. Augustine, Trinidad and Consulting Editor for the Encyclopedia of Caribbean Religions, (a York University Project). Author of two widely used textbooks on Sociology for Caribbean Students. He has served as Member of the Subject Panel and as Chief Examiner for CAPE Sociology since its inception and has published several journal articles on drug abuse, education and stratification, and the sociology of health. Dr. Mustapha is also the President of the Trinidad Muslim League.

Rethinking Islamic Reform

The Rethinking Islamic Reform conference, originally held May 26, 2010, featured two of the world's foremost Muslim intellectuals as they provide guidance in the ever polemical topic of reform in Islam.

Oxford University Islamic Society was honoured to have hosted Sheikh Hamza Yusuf Hanson (Zaytuna Institute, USA) and Professor Tariq Ramadan (Oxford University, UK) to participate at this ground-breaking conference.

The conference addressed the phenomena of how, in the post 9/11 world, it has grown to be an axiomatic truth that Islam needs to reform. Whether it is Western policy-makers seeking to protect themselves from Muslim extremists, humanitarian activists fighting to liberate silenced Muslims, or Muslims themselves responding to new paradigms faced in the 21st century, all are agreed that something within Islam needs to change. The question though, is what, and perhaps more pertinently, how?

The distinguished guest speakers are well placed to answer.

Invitations for this event extended to ministers, policy advisors, think tanks, journalists, theologians, scholars and other public figures with an interest in the field of Islamic Reform.



Private-public sector team from Guyana to visit Kuwait

GEORGETOWN, Guyana (GINA) -- The government of Guyana, the private sector and the Ministry of Tourism, Industry and Commerce are currently working on putting together a team to travel to Kuwait, to pursue investments and build relations.

This follows the recent visit by the Kuwaiti Prime Minister and delegation, during which the local private sector was invited to the Middle East country.

This initiative acknowledges Kuwait's interest in strengthening ties with Guyana, particularly in tourism, mining, construction, and developing financial and airline services.

Minister of Tourism, Industry and Commerce, Manniram Prashad indicated that, during the visit of the Kuwaiti delegation, members of both countries' private sector met at the Princess Hotel, where they discussed business related opportunities and partnerships in the two countries.

Additionally, a visit by the Chamber of Commerce and the Private Sector, to Kuwait was suggested; and was welcomed immediately by the Kuwaiti Minister of Industry and Commerce.  The team will be visiting Kuwait sometime between October and January, in response to Kuwait's Minister of Industry and Commerce's persistence for the Guyanese delegation to visit as soon as possible.

Prashad emphasised that preliminary work would be done to indicate the areas where Guyana can benefit the most and the necessary contacts made with Kuwaiti officials.  President of the Georgetown Chamber of Commerce, Ramesh Dookoo indicated that Kuwait is interested in everything that Guyana has to offer, particularly the gold, tourism, construction and mining sectors.

A package was also presented, by the Kuwaiti delegation, to the local private sector containing information about the opportunities that are available in that country. This package would also be sent to other private sector agencies and stakeholders.

Trinidad Muslims Fundraising to alleviate suffering of those impacted by floods in Pakistan

Wed 18th August 2010:- Muslims in Trinidad held a three hour telethon on Islamic Broadcast Network’s  last Sunday in which more than $1.2 million has been raised  to aid in disaster relief efforts in flood-ravaged Pakistan. The flooding in Pakistan is the worst ever experienced by the country, as 20 million people have been displaced. Millions more are expected to be affected by flood-related diseases.

ASJA is also in the process of raising funds for Pakistan with contributions from its mosques. First vice president of ASJA Kamal Hosein said the group was raising money because they believe Pakistan is experiencing a national disaster.  

Reports are that the Government of Trinidad & Tobago may also be considering to provide assistance to Pakistan in this unprecedented natural disaster.

Governments around the world pledged more than US$200 million during a debate in the UN General Assembly convened to show solidarity with flood-ravaged Pakistan, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said on Friday.  The new funds will add to an estimated $250 million already raised as part of a $460 million appeal launched by the UN last week to meet emergency needs by flood victims in the next three months.  Ban said countries around the world have come out "strongly in solidarity and support for the people of Pakistan".  "I want to thank governments for pledging more than $200 million to boost relief efforts," he said. "The generosity of countries and individuals will make a real difference in the daily lives of millions of people."  "We must keep it up," he said. "This is not just Pakistan's hour of need - Pakistan is facing weeks, months and years of need."

Eid ul Fitr Holiday September 10th in Trinidad and Tobago

Eid ul Fitr the national holiday that marks the end of Ramadan, the month of fasting has been  set for Friday, September 10, 2010 in the Republic of Trinidad & Tobago.

The announcement was made by Minister of Science, Technology and Tertiary Education, Fazal Karim at yesterday’s Post Cabinet media conference, held at the office of the Prime Minister, Queen’s Park West, Port-of-Spain.

T & T 1990 coup Leaders property auctioned by the State

The State of  Trinidad and Tobago recovered $5m from the sale of the properties of the 1990 coup leaders. Ten properties, owned by Yasin Abu Bakr and his second-in-command Kala Aki Bua, were auctioned yesterday, as the State attempted to recover a $42.3 million debt (including interest) incurred from the destruction of the Police Headquarters during the 1990 attempted coup.

The State raised $5,212,000 at yesterday's auction. The auction came as a result of a ruling by Justice Rajendra Narine on September 11 last year.

It is now up to the State to determine how to recover the $37 million shortfall, supervising Auctioneer Peter Soon said. The family of  Yasin Abu Bakr was able to buy back two of ten properties which the State had seized and publicly auctioned yesterday. The total price of the two properties purchased by the Yasin's wife and son was $2.4 million.

"We anticipated a better turnout. I believe if there were more people present the competition would have pushed the prices higher," Soon said of the procedure.

Early sighting reports from Caribbean & South America: all negative

There have been no confirmed sightings of the new crescent in the parameters of CaribbeanMuslims.com, therefore Sha'ban will complete 30 days and Ramadan will start Thursday 12th August, 2010.

 

RAMADAN KAREEM TO ONE AND ALL.

 

First day of Fasting is on Thursday 12 August, 2010

 

We have received numerous reports from Bolivia, Brazil, Guyana, Trinidad, Barbados, and Suriname all indicating that the moon has not been seen. Moonsighting.com which ironically declares the beginning and end of Islamic months based on calculation, has a banner declaring that "Saudi Arabia announced in mosques that the moon has been sighted; Wednesday is the first of Ramadan".  Clearly these countries west of Saudi Arabia must see it as well.  The same website shows a visibility map that demonstrates the impossibility of anyone located in Saudi Arabia to be able to see the moon.   Here is the chart

Lest it be said that Moonsighting.com got the chart incorrect, crescentwatch.org has the following chart:



There has been so much corruption of the teachings of the faith coming out of Saudi, it is no wonder they now also wish to corrupt everything in the heavens as well.  We are awaiting further reports from Chile and other key parts of the Americas. We will update this site as more reports come in.  CaribbeanMuslims.com  adheres to the traditional principle that Islamic lunar months begin and end based on the confirmed, verifiable sighting of the new crescent moon.

Islam, Muslims and Multiculturalism: Conference Report

by Yoginder Sikand

Much has been written about conflicts involving religious communities across the world by journalists, academics and security ‘experts’. Although these conflicts have local roots, and owe to a host of causes, some locally-specific, others regional and even global, a common factor that links all of them are supremacist notions of the religious ‘self’ and, associated with these, negative images of the religious ‘other’ that are deeply-rooted in dominant understandings of religion. Efforts to resolve these conflicts must, some time or the other, necessarily address head-on the notion of the ‘other’ in religious thought, to critique understandings that brand all non-believers as ‘enemies’ and dismiss their faiths as of no worth at all. This critique needs to go hand-in-hand with efforts to promote more positive understandings of the religious ‘other’ and of other faith traditions and belief systems. In short, while most conflicts involving people of different religious communities are rooted in political and economic factors, they cannot be reduced entirely to them. The crucial role that negative, exclusivist, intolerant and supremacist understandings of religion and the religious ‘other’ play in creating and in fanning these conflicts cannot be denied.

That, in short, was what I learnt at a conference in Singapore that I recently participated in. Organised by the official Islamic Council of Singapore, the Majlis Ugama Islam Singapore (MUIS), the conference brought together several dozen academics and activists, Muslims as well as others, from across the world to deliberate on the vexed issue of Islam, Muslims and multiculturalism in our globalised world.

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