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Egyptian women blamed for being sexually assaulted
Egyptian women are angry that blame has not been placed on men for sexual attacks and ask what more a fully veiled woman can do to be dressed modestly.
CAIRO -- The eid, or holiday, celebrations marking the end of the fasting month of Ramadan is a time of joy and coming together across the Islamic world. But eid turned into a holiday of fear in Cairo on Oct. 2 when a mob of about 100 youths sexually attacked women strolling through the streets of a middle-class neighborhood.
Details are still emerging from the incident in the Mohandiseen district, but already they are eerily reminiscent of another mob-style attack in Egypt's capital city that occurred almost two years to the day.
According to eyewitness accounts, around 100 boys and young men attacked women on the streets, ripping at their clothes in the country's worst sexual harassment incident since the Oct. 24, 2006, downtown Cairo attacks.
Women reported being violently molested and groped. Some women wearing the hijab headscarf had their clothes torn off by gangs of attackers. One woman who wore the conservative niqab veil, that covers the entire head and face, reported that men grabbed at it in an attempt to tear it off her face.
Mohsen Reda, an Egyptian member of parliament, argued that women should be dressed more modestly as "a lot our youth can't afford marriage, so it is only normal for some harassment to take place." Egyptian women are angry that blame has not been placed on men for sexual attacks and ask what more a fully veiled woman can do to be ... more -
Tanzanians killed in disco stampede
At least 19 youths have died and several others wounded in a stampede inside a disco in central Tanzania, police have told state television.
Police said that those who died were aged between 12 and 17 years.
"According to preliminary investigations, 19 died of stampede and suffocation in the disco hall," Daudi Siasi, Tabora regional police commander, told the Tanzania Broadcasting Corporation (TBC) on Wednesday.
"The stampede was caused by (a) commotion in the disco."
The incident occured in the Tabora region, 750km northwest of the commercial capital Dar es Salaam, where a large number of youths had gathered for Eid al-Fitr festivities marking the end of the holy month of Ramadan.
Saisi said several people were injured and taken to Tabora town's hospitals, where some were admitted and others were treated and then sent home.
"The town is in a sombre mood as a result the incident," he said, adding that police had launched investigations into what had caused the stampede. At least 19 youths have died and several others wounded in a stampede inside a disco in central Tanzania, police have told state telev... more -
Couple beaten to death in bizarre stop-smoking ritual
A Malaysian couple have been beaten to death by four close family members in a ritual apparently intended to help one of them stop smoking, police have said.
They reportedly smashed the husband and wife's heads on a table, and beat them with broomsticks and motorbike helmets at a house in Kuala Lumpur.
The couple's 14-year-old daughter was also injured and taken to hospital.
One of the couple's sons and three other relatives remain in custody. Four others have been released, police said.
Ku Chin Wah, the head of the police crime investigation department in the capital, said the attack had taken place when Mohamed Ibrahim Kader Mydin, 47, and his wife, Rosina Mydin Pillay, 41, visited their family on Thursday.
The gathering was part of celebrations to mark the end of fasting during the Muslim month of Ramadan.
Mohamed Ibrahim was seeking help to stop his smoking habit, while his wife was suffering from asthma and a liver ailment, Mr Ku said.
"Following this, a 23-year-old male relative suggested that the couple undergo a ritual which involved all family members joining forces to beat up the couple to rid them of their ailments," he told Malaysia's official Bernama news agency.
An ambulance was called but not for hours after the beatings, and neither the husband or the wife regained consciousness, he added.
Several other members of the family, including the couple's children, aged 14, 19 and 21, also suffered injuries in the incident, Bernama reported. A Malaysian couple have been beaten to death by four close family members in a ritual apparently intended to help one of them stop smo... more -
Suicide Bombs Strike Baghdad Shiites on Holiday
BAGHDAD, Oct. 2 -- Suicide bombers attacked Shiite worshipers at two mosques in Baghdad on Thursday, killing at least 16 people and injuring more than 50 in a grim reminder of the sectarian tensions that brought the country to the brink of civil war in the recent years.
In Diyala province, north of Baghdad, gunmen opened fire on a minibus outside the provincial capital of Baqubah, killing six members of a Sunni family, including children ages 5 and 6, according to Col. Raghib al-Omaiery of the Diyala military command.
Such sectarian violence has dropped dramatically in recent months. But many analysts fear it could flare again as Iraq confronts a host of unresolved political problems.
The mosque attacks occurred as Muslims were leaving morning prayers celebrating the end of the holy month of Ramadan. In the Zafaraniya neighborhood, a white sedan exploded at an Iraqi security forces checkpoint near the Mohammad Rasoul Allah mosque, officials said. The blast blew apart a Humvee, killing six people and injuring 23, according to Maj. Gen. Qassim Atta, a spokesman for Iraqi military operations in Baghdad. BAGHDAD, Oct. 2 -- Suicide bombers attacked Shiite worshipers at two mosques in Baghdad on Thursday, killing at least 16 people and in... more -
Celebrating Eid Mubarak
Today is Eid, the Muslim holiday signifying the end of Ramadan. Ramadan is the holy month in which Muslim faith followers abstain from eating and drinking fluids during daylight hours. It is my understanding that the date of Eid is determined by the sighting of the moon.
As a person of non-Muslim faith, I am lucky enough to have a good friend who is Muslim in order to glimpse into the celebratory patterns of North American Muslim followers on this religious holiday. I am happy to be able to share this event with her and her family. Today is Eid, the Muslim holiday signifying the end of Ramadan. Ramadan is the holy month in which Muslim faith followers abstain from... more -
Muslim Children gassed at Dayton mosque after "Obsession" DVD hits Ohio
On Friday, September 26, the end of a week in which thousands of copies of Obsession: Radical Islam's War Against the West -- the fear-mongering, anti-Muslim documentary being distributed by the millions in swing states via DVDs inserted in major newspapers and through the U.S. mail -- were distributed by mail in Ohio, a "chemical irritant" was sprayed through a window of the Islamic Society of Greater Dayton, where 300 people were gathered for a Ramadan prayer service.
The room that the chemical was sprayed into was the room where babies and children were being kept while their mothers were engaged in prayers. On Friday, September 26, the end of a week in which thousands of copies of Obsession: Radical Islam's War Against the West -- the... more -
Dozens killed in Baghdad's deadliest day this Ramadan
34 people were killed in Baghdad today, in what has been the bloodiest day in the city during the holy month of Ramadan.
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Terrorism Strikes Dayton, OH
DAYTON — Baboucarr Njie was preparing for his prayer session Friday night, Sept. 26, when he heard children in the Islamic Society of Greater Dayton coughing. Soon, Njie himself was overcome with fits of coughing and, like the rest of those in the building, headed for the doors.
Njie was one of several affected when a suspected chemical irritant was sprayed into the mosque at 26 Josie St., bringing Dayton police, fire and hazardous material personnel to the building at 9:48 p.m.
Someone "sprayed an irritant into the mosque," Dayton fire District Chief Vince Wiley said, noting that fire investigators believe it was a hand-held spray can.
Wiley would not discuss that report, but said the investigation has been turned over to police. Police were not commenting.
The 300 or so inside were celebrating the last 10 days of Ramadan with dinner and a prayer session, but the prayer session was interrupted so those suffering from tearing, coughing and shortness of breath could receive treatment.... DAYTON — Baboucarr Njie was preparing for his prayer session Friday night, Sept. 26, when he heard children in the Islamic Society of ... more -
Holy month in Iraq sees deadliest day
BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) -- Several bombings across Baghdad killed 34 people Sunday -- the bloodiest day in the capital during this holy month of Ramadan, an Interior Ministry official said.
Also Sunday, in Iraq's Diyala province, at least four people were killed and 17 others wounded in several attacks, a security official in the province said.
The attacks came as Iraqis prepared for Eid al-Fitr, which marks the end of Ramadan with feasts and celebrations. The holiday in Iraq begins Tuesday.
In Baghdad's central Karrada district, a suicide bomber wearing an explosives vest detonated minutes after a bomb in a parked car exploded, the Interior Ministry's head of Explosives and Ordnance Disposal unit said, speaking on state-run al-Iraqia television.
Twenty people were killed and 72 wounded in those attacks, which occurred in a busy commercial area in Karrada. Three women and four policemen were among the dead, and the wounded included seven policemen and women and children, the Interior Ministry said.
Initially, the Interior Ministry reported a roadside bomb followed the car bomb. But Iraqi Gen. Jihad al-Jabiri of the Interior Ministry later said that as people gathered about 328 feet (100 meters) from where the car had exploded, the suicide bomber detonated amid the crowd, causing most of the casualties.
Earlier Sunday, a bomb detonated in a car parked near a southwestern Baghdad market and mosque, killing at least a dozen people and wounding 35 others, the official said. The attack, which occurred shortly before Iftar -- the evening meal at which Muslims break their fast during Ramadan -- took place in a predominantly Shiite area.
Around the same time, a bomb attached to a car detonated on a bridge in southwestern Baghdad, killing the driver and wounding a civilian bystander, the official said. It was believed the bomb was attached to the car without the driver's knowledge, the official said.
Earlier Sunday, a roadside bomb exploded near an Iraqi army patrol close to a restaurant in western Baghdad's al-Mansour district, killing one soldier and wounding three others.
In Diyala province, a roadside bomb struck an Iraqi Army patrol in Balad Ruz Sunday morning, killing at least two soldiers and wounding 10 others, a security official in the province said. Balad Ruz is about 30 miles (48 kilometers) east of the provincial capital of Baquba.
In Diyala's Khan Bani Saad, near Baquba, gunmen opened fire on civilians Sunday and killed at least two people, the official said.
And in central al-Saadiya -- a predominantly Kurdish town northeast of Baquba -- a roadside bomb struck the convoy of Ahmed al-Zarqoushi, the town's mayor. The attack wounded al-Zarqoushi and seven others, including five members of his security detail and two civilian bystanders.
Al-Saadiya is close to Khanaqin, a predominantly Kurdish area of the province in dispute between the central government and the autonomous Kurdish regional government in northern Iraq.
On Friday, Maj. Gen. Jeffrey Hammond, the U.S. commander in Baghdad, said violence in Baghdad during Ramadan had dropped sharply from last year, when 600 attacks occurred. This year, not including the attacks this weekend, Baghdad had experienced about one-tenth of that number, he said.
About 800 attacks took place in Baghdad during Ramadan in 2006, he said. BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) -- Several bombings across Baghdad killed 34 people Sunday -- the bloodiest day in the capital during this holy mo... more -
Moroccan officials close shisha cafes
Authorities in Casablanca have shut down shisha cafes throughout the city after receiving several complaints during the holy month of Ramadan that the cafes promote vice and spread disease.
Moroccan preacher sheikh Abdul-Bari al-Zamzami, a member of the Moroccan Scholars Association, told AlArabiya.net that the cafes were dens of vice and corruption.
"Shisha cafes are a disgrace to the city and to all Morocco. They are a way to seduce minors and spread corruption," he said.
In addition to the personal health risks of smoking sihsha, which include lung cancer, shisha cafes have been linked to the increased prevalence of tuberculosis in several Arab countries. According to the World Health Organization regional office in Cairo, about 17 percent of TB cases in the eastern Mediterranean are attributable to smoking the water pipes.
Recent statistics issued by the Ministry of Health indicate that Casablanca has the highest number of TB cases out of any Moroccan cities, with 25,562 cases reported in 2007 alone. The rate of infection was estimated at 82 cases for every 100,000.
Haya added that in addition to health problems cafes encourage many ethical violations since men and women "mingle in a shameful way."
Casablanca mayor Mohamed Sajed declined to comment on the decision to close the cafes.
The controversy over shisha cafes started in the City Council where many members considered them hotbeds of indecency and accused many of its regulars of replacing tobacco with pot or other narcotics. Authorities in Casablanca have shut down shisha cafes throughout the city after receiving several complaints during the holy month of ... more -
Changing Ramadan Rituals
American Muslims Shifting Focus From Food to Community
Growing up in southern Egypt, Mohamed Sayed ended Ramadan's daily fast with lots of friends and relatives sharing a big feast, sitting around the television, drinking sweet tea and eating dates "like Thanksgiving multiplied by 30."
Now 28 and living in Alexandria, Sayed is less traditional. For Ramadan, which began Sept. 2 and ends Thursday, he combines his iftars -- the end of his daily fast -- with his book club, "success strategies" meetings for young professionals and even a casual dinner at T.G.I. Friday's with a few friends.
"It's not just about the food," Sayed said, "it's also about being part of the community."
The ninth month of the Islamic calendar, Ramadan is the time when Muslims believe the Koran was revealed to the Prophet Muhammad. Islam calls for Muslims to abstain from food, drink and sex from dawn to dusk, sharpen their self-discipline and focus on becoming closer to God. American Muslims Shifting Focus From Food to Community ... more -
Young Saudis Reinvent Ramadan -
JIDDAH, Saudi Arabia -- During Ramadan this year, Faten Jiddawi and a few friends from a charity packed into a hot van and delivered a new washing machine and refrigerator to a needy family.
Like many Saudis, Jiddawi used to mark the Muslim holy month by shopping, eating lavishly and watching television until the wee hours. Then she slept, sometimes all day until sunset prayers signaled the end of the daily dawn-to-dusk fast.
"That's what everyone did, but that's not really fasting," said Jiddawi, 28, a bank teller. "Fasting is about feeling your hunger, getting close to God and helping the poor."
In Saudi Arabia, one of the world's wealthiest Muslim countries, some people have started to criticize how many here observe Ramadan by essentially turning day into night to make fasting easier. Work and school hours have been shortened, shops stay open until right before dawn, and doctors and dentists offer appointments until 2 a.m. JIDDAH, Saudi Arabia -- During Ramadan this year, Faten Jiddawi and a few friends from a charity packed into a hot van and delivered a... more -
Sarajevo Queer Festival Attacked
The threats issued against the organizers of the first Queer Sarajevo Festivala (QSF) over the last month or so culminated and materialized last night, during the opening ceremony.
Instigation to hatred and the attacks on the organizers were initiated by the daily newspaper Dnevni Avaz and its obstinate emphasis on the fact that the Festival, scheduled to coincide with the month of Ramadan religious holiday, was an insult to Muslims in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The reporting was then spiced up by statement of political, religious and health officials over the next several days.
Although some media, NGOs and the international community condemned the hate speech of such statements, no sanctions followed, which ultimately resulted in an open violence against the Queer Festival and the LGBTQ population in general. The State Telecommunications Regulation Agency reacted only after threatening letters were received by several media that had been reporting on the festival in an objective and impartial manner.
The threats culminated yesterday, when all tram stops in Sarajevo were covered with posters quoting the Qur'an inciting hatred against homosexuals and another poster quoting a "scientific survey" on homosexuality from 1940, taken from the Family Research Institute, which was translated and published on the Zdravodrustvo Web site that was registered only yesterday, directly inciting hatred and intolerance of homosexual persons.
Also yesterday, a protest against the Queer Fest was scheduled to take place at 17:00 hours. Some 30 young men gathered there and then dispersed after about half an hour of insults and curses against reporters who wanted to take their statements. The police didn't have information about who organized the gathering nor did it ask the participants to present some form of identification.
The opening ceremony of the QSF started at 19:30, with a press conference held at the gallery of the Academy of Fine Arts (ALU) in Sarajevo. About 250 citizens of Sarajevo, members of the diplomatic corps and foreign guests appeared at the ceremony, all of them elated with the turnout, considering the numerous threats issued against the Festival and its organizers.
Before the start of the ceremony, several dozen members of the so-called Vehabi movement gathered in front of ALU, while 50 or so young men that appeared at the protest against the Festival earlier, gathered on the other side of Miljacka River. They chanted slogans like "kill the fagots" and "we will kick your ass." The guests at the opening ceremony greeted their chants with an applause, which their future actions, as it turned out, would certainly not deserve. At that moment, literally just 15 policemen were present in front of ALU, and the internal security at the ceremony was provided by a private security agency.
After the inaugural speeches by the Dutch Ambassador to Bosnia and Herzegovina and the organizers, the First Queer Sarajevo Festival officially opened with the "okreni oqueer" (note: an almost untranslatable pun literally translated as turn the frame around). Then, the positive energy and the love that prevailed at the ceremony had to give way to the hatred and insults that greeted them at the ALU entrance.
In fact, the police has allowed a greater number of Vehabis, including women wearing chadors, to gather at the very entrance of the building, several metres from the door. Seven members of the regular police prevented them from entering the building, while eight other policemen from the riot-police unit just stood on the steps. The special police didn't react even after the physical attacks on the guest and participants. The mob in front of ALU used every opportunity to provoke a reaction from the guest of the festival that would justify their physical aggression.
--CONTINUES The threats issued against the organizers of the first Queer Sarajevo Festivala (QSF) over the last month or so culminated and materia... more -
Young men attack gay festival in Bosnia
Bosnian police clashed on Wednesday with young men attacking the country's first gay festival in Sarajevo.
Police said at least eight people were injured when attackers dragged some people from vehicles and beat others in the street. A policeman was also injured.
Sarajevo hospital said six people were admitted with head wounds and that a Danish visitor was the most seriously hurt.
Officers pushed dozens of young men away from the Academy of Fine Arts where about the same number of visitors attended the opening of the four-day Queer Festival.
Islamic media campaigned this month against the organization of the festival during the Islamic holy month of Ramadan and anonymous death threats were made against its organizers and media that supported it.
Organizers said the timing of the indoor festival of art, film and workshops about sexual minorities was coincidental.
In Bosnia, as in most countries in the Balkans, there is zero tolerance for homosexuals.
The young men, with hoods hiding their faces and some with long beards, yelled offensive words and also Allahu akbar (God is Greatest). Police said one attacker was detained.
Sarajevo, known for centuries for the peaceful coexistence of its Muslims, Christians and Jews, became a majority Muslim city after the 1992-95 war. Bosnian police clashed on Wednesday with young men attacking the country's first gay festival in Sarajevo. ... more -
Some are gaining weight during Ramadan
During the holy month of Ramadan Muslims fast during the day. At night they feast. Some Iranian doctors are warning about the health risks of overindulging during Ramadan.
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2008/09/080918-... During the holy month of Ramadan Muslims fast during the day. At night they feast. Some Iranian doctors are warning about the health r... more -
The rituals and politics of Ramadan
Islam is a fascinating and misunderstood religion which, this month celebrates Ramadan.
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Islamabad weeps - The Daily Nightly - msnbc.com
This is a first hand experience and I think it is better read than quoted, read and then respond so America is represented somewhere
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Tower Hamlets Council force councillors to keep Ramadan
Later this month it's Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year. It's one of the holiest days of the Jewish calendar, so I'd be obliged, please, if you'd all stay at home, turn off the TV and refrain from your usual activities. Ten days after that it's Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, when Jews fast and spend the day in synagogue. So I've also asked my Times colleagues not to work then. And I will be mightily offended if I learn afterwards that any of them have been eating.
You might not think I am being serious. But if I was Head of Democratic Services at Tower Hamlets Council in East London, I would be. Last week John Williams e-mailed each of the borough's 51 councillors with a similar instruction.
For the duration of Ramadan, the Muslim holy month, they are, he told them - every one of them, Muslim, Catholic, Jew or atheist - to behave during council meetings as strict Muslims. They are not to eat or drink; they are to break for Muslim prayers; they are to do as they are ordered by the Muslim religion.
Strict Muslims do not eat or drink between sunrise or sunset during Ramadan. Because sunset will fall during the meetings, there will be 45-minute adjournments so that councillors can break their fast and pray. And to make things easier, there will only be seven council meetings during the month.
This is, let me remind you, happening not on Karachi borough council but in Tower Hamlets in London. As far as I am aware, the United Kingdom has not yet been absorbed into the Caliphate. The last time I checked, we allow citizens to practise all religions and none. If I wish to stuff my face with chocolate during the fasting hours of Ramadan, I will. And if you wish to go out for a slap-up lunch on Yom Kippur, you can feel free.
Yet Mr Williams - he's the man with the “democratic services” label, a title so Orwellian that his existence simply had to involve promoting the opposite of democracy and service - appears to have concluded that Islamic practices must take precedence over any other practices. Instead of individual councillors being allowed to decide for themselves how they wish to behave during Ramadan, he is deciding for them.
It should come as no surprise that it is not the borough's Muslim councillors who are demanding that their non-Muslim colleagues obey Islam. As almost always, it is a caricature liberal-left non-Muslim idiot who thinks he is being racially aware who does the real harm to race relations. Respect for religious practice can only be given voluntarily. Mr Williams's prescription leads only to anger. Later this month it's Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year. It's one of the holiest days of the Jewish calendar, so I'd b... more -
Humanitarian Day Detroit 2008
Discusses homelessness in Detroit, a very major issue not talked about or dealt with nearly enough. It also documents the annual Day of Dignity, formerly known as Humanitarian, which is one of the largest events held in MIchigan to help the homeless. Discusses homelessness in Detroit, a very major issue not talked about or dealt with nearly enough. It also documents the annual Day o... more
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Female bomber kills many in Iraq
At least 20 people have been killed and dozens wounded after a female suicide bomber blew herself up at a dinner party in Iraq's northern Diyala province, police have said.
Monday's attack happened as a group of people, mainly police officers, were breaking their fast during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan in the town of Balad Ruz, 90km northeast of Baghdad, the capital.
Bomb attacks have killed dozens of people in Iraq in the past few days, bucking a trend towards lower violence across the country.
Women have carried out more than two dozen suicide attacks in Iraq this year.
Earlier, two car bombs exploded in quick succession in the Baghdad district of Karrada, killing 12 people and wounding 37.
Diyala remains one of Iraq's most violent provinces. The US says suspected al-Qaeda in Iraq fighters have sought sanctuary in Diyala after being pushed out of other parts of the country. At least 20 people have been killed and dozens wounded after a female suicide bomber blew herself up at a dinner party in Iraq's ... more
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Ramadan
