Sunday, November 30, 2003

Reform of family law proves no incompatibility between Islam and democracy, ambassador

The new Family law announced by Moroccan King Mohammed VI at the opening of the parliament session last month, proves that there is "no incompatibility between Islam, a religion of justice, and democracy" for which Morocco has opted since its independence, said, inWashington Monday, Moroccan ambassador to theUnited States.

Aziz Mekouar who was participating in a debate on such topics as relations between theUnited States and the Arab and Muslim World, organized by the "World Affairs Council" in Washington, said that this new code which will be soon submitted to Parliament, is the fruit of a deep reflection and consensus among the various components of the Moroccan society.

He said the family law, which replaces the 1957 code of the personal Status, known as "Mudawana," restores women's rights.

Taken From: http://www.arabicnews.com/ansub/Daily/Day/031129/2003112916.html

Speaker to relate true spirit of Islam

If anything good has come out of the anguish and ashes of 9/11, it's the effort that Americans have made to learn more about Muslims, said William L. Baker, founder and president of CAMP (Christians And Muslims for Peace).

Calling himself "an eternal optimist," Mr. Baker, a Christian, said he believes that people who look into Islam will realize that the terrorists could not have been true adherents of the faith that has 1.2 billion followers worldwide.

"Where in the Qur'an does it say you can kill anyone who is not a Muslim? This is contradictory to the teachings of Islam and to the history of Islam, which teaches tolerance, peace, and justice," he said.

After the terrorist attacks, Americans began to take a closer look at Islam, said Mr. Baker, who will speak Friday at Masjid Saad and Dec. 6 at the Islamic Center of Greater Toledo.

Taken From: http://www.toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20031129/NEWS10/111290128

Canada: Muslim population now stands at 800,000

Toronto,

Michell de Slabiri, Canada’s ambassador in Egypt, has disclosed that the number of Muslims in his country now stands at 800,000, and increasing steadily, adding that they enjoy complete freedom of worship.

 He told IINA in Cairo that Islamic education is expanding and improving, and by the end of 2002 there were 24 such schools, plus an Azharian institute that was build by funds generated from donations collected locally by the Muslims themselves. This institute, he said, is supervised by the Azhar in Egypt, which also supplies it with teachers and textbooks, as well as the curriculum of study.

He said there is also an institute that was set up by the Makkah-based Muslim World League (MWL).

As for government support for Muslim education, the envoy said that since Islam is the second largest religion, after Christianity, in Canada, every year the government makes a certain allocation for education in its budget.

As for relations between Canada and the Muslim world, ambassador de Slabiri said that the relations have always been good and date back a long time, because, as he put it, “our policies towards the Palestine issue are just and we help developing Muslim countries,” in the educational, health and social services sectors.

Taken From: http://www.islamicnews.org/english/en_daily.html