Islam Growing Rapidly In The Suburbs

US/Central
SOUTH BRUNSWICK,N.J.(AP)Just off one of the busiest highways in this rapidly growing suburb sits the new face of Islam inAmerica.

The Islamic Society of Central Jersey's mosque is tucked in amid the pine trees and flowering pink dogwoods along the booming high-tech corridor leading into Princeton. Next door, huge concrete water main pipes lie on the side of the road, ready to be installed as part of a new housing development. The mosque's expansive parking lots fill up with mini-vans and SUVs, disgorging parents and kids hurrying inside for worship between work and classes.

Scenes like this are playing out across the United States as Muslim communities spread out from the cities to the suburbs. Definitive statistics are hard to come by, but some Muslim leaders and sociologists, backed by anecdotal evidence, say the fastest growth of mosques is occurring in the suburbs. That was also the conclusion of a 2001 nationwide study of mosques by the Council on American Islamic Relations.
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Taken From: http://cbs11tv.com/localnews/topstories_story_137135408.html

Malaysia - a leader in Islamic banking

BACHOK May

 Malaysia is a point of reference for matters relating to Islamic banking for Muslim nations worldwide, said former Bank Negara Malaysia (BNM) Deputy Governor Datuk Dr Awang Adek Hussin.

In his 17-year service, Dr Awang himself has led numerous teams of Malaysian experts to Arab countries to help set up Islamic banking systems there. He said no other country could compete againstMalaysia's Islamic banking system.

Dr Awang, who is also Kelantan UMNO treasurer and Tenaga Nasional Bhd chairman, spoke to reporters after launching the Parents and Teachers Association meeting at Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan Badak here Saturday.

He said Pas was merely dreaming in wanting to create an Islamic nation as the party had not the slightest idea on how to achieve this.

He said the government was willing to improve the Islamic banking system and people should not ridicule it if there were shortcomings.

He also warned that if Muslims were constantly at loggerheads they may face the same fate as people inIraq. "If we do not unite under one roof, in the near future, we may possibly suffer like the Iraqis today, he added.

r="#2f9be3" face="tahoma">The Oxford of madrassa education in India (SPECIAL ARTICLE)

Madrassas, or Islamic seminaries, inIndia have become the butt of suspicion following a series of investigations by the authorities after the September 11 terrorist strikes in the U.S.

The madrassas are called upon to repeatedly prove their secular credentials besides providing with certificates of loyalty. This has now become important, not just at Darul Uloom in Uttar Pradesh but at all the madrassas of western Rajasthan. Set amidst the sylvan surroundings of Jaipur's Ramgarh, encircled by a tranquil valley and cool lake, you will find a completely new experiment with the traditional madrassa education system here. Usually madrassas are termed by the media as ghettos of antiquity, orthodoxy and obscurantism languishing in dark and ill-ventilated dungeons where one feels asphyxiated. But can you imagine a madrassa with computers, electronic labs, cricket and volleyball teams and debating societies in English and Hindi?

Taken from: http://in.news.yahoo.com/030518/43/24f13.html