Sharia Times

It was reported that The Prophet (saw) said...

It was reported that The Prophet (saw) said... be in this world as if you are a stranger or a wayfarer. When the night comes do not wait for the day and when the day comes do not wait for the night. Take from your health for your sickness and take from your life for your death. This life is but a temporary residence. Live in this dunya, work for your akhira. Juma Mubaraka Read more →

Anti-Islamic Adverts to Appear in 10 New York Subway Stations

The advertisement reads, “In any war between the civilized man and the savage, support the civilized man. Support Israel. Defeat Jihad.” Two Stars of David surround the letters. American Freedom Defence Initiative (FDI), a pro-Israel group is behind the ads campaign. Initially New York's transportation agency barred the ads citing demeaning language. But a judge ruled in July for the FDI. Manhattan district judge Paul Engelmayer said in his ruling that the language in the FDI ad was protected under the constitution's First Amendment right to free speech. Pamela Geller, executive director of the FDI, said: "I'm glad to see that the freedom of speech has finally prevailed." Ibrahim Hooper, spokesman for the Council on American-Islamic Relations, says "this and similar advertisements are designed to promote anti-Muslim bigotry". He pointed out that the FDI has been listed as a hate-group by the Southern Poverty Law Centre, a civil rights group.... Read more →

A £2-a-month levy on broadband could save our newspapers – writes David Leigh in The Guardian.

That’s a 13% increase on an average monthly broadband charge of £15. This is all hard pressed people need. With austerity measures biting into working and middle class household budgets and a potential freeze on benefits, if the Tories get their wish. “Joe public” love the multi-millionaire newspaper owners (some billionaires) so much that they will not mind! Mr Leigh needs to get real. He seems to have missed the fact that we are in the current financial mess because of subsidies and favouritism shown by our government, which are funded by the tax payer. The Luddites in 1811 opposed machinery and new working practices. Change and innovation in technology and commerce is part of our economic system. Newspapers will survive if people want them. Read more →

The Blessed Prophet SAW said, ”When anyone of you enters a masjid, do not sit until you pray two rakat”.

The Blessed Prophet SAW said, ”When anyone of you enters a masjid, do not sit until you pray two rakat”. Quoted on http://productivemuslim.tumblr.com/ Read more →

Could man linked with anti-Islam film be in trouble with the law?

This headline appeared in The Christian Science Monitor Sept.19.2012. Nakoula Basseley Nakoula an Egyptian Christian living in California is a convicted fraudster who was sentenced to 21 months in prison in 2010. He was released on probation which banned him from using the internet and using an alias for 5 years without approval from his probation officer. The fact that Nakoula posted the film on the internet and is alleged to have used an alias “Sam Bacile” to produce the anti-Islamic film raise questions of why he is still free. Paul Takajian, a retired Los Angeles prosecutor now specializing in criminal law says, "Probation really is a sword of Damocles hanging over your head, and if you take a wrong step, you are going to be regretting it.” "If this man was using a false name to gain access to the Internet, it would certainly appear at first blush that... Read more →

Obama to Condemn Anti-Islamic Filmmaker Before United Nations

Next week, Obama will denounce the film in a speech before the United Nations General Assembly, states a report by John Nolte. The article goes on to say, "As he has in recent days, the President will make it clear that we reject the views in this video, while also underscoring that violence is never acceptable”. President Obama has already broadcast a message to Pakistan via a TV advert on Pakistani TV, saying that the government of America does not have anything to do with the making of the anti-Islamic film. The message was also repeated and endorsed by Hillary Clinton. Read more →

Pakistan Official Offers $100,000 Bounty for Anti-Islamic Film Maker

Pakistani Minister for Railways Ghulam Ahmed Bilour offered a $100,000 bounty for the death of the person who produced the anti-Islamic film. At the same time he condemned the violence during the protests on Friday. He called for legislation to be introduced that trouble makers cannot hurt and inflame the emotions of Muslims. At least two dozen people were killed in Pakistan during protests in Pakistan. Many shops and businesses were burned down or seriously damaged during Friday protests. Read more →

Sharia Law: Understanding the ‘Anti Sharia Law’ phenomenon in mainstream media

Sharia Law also spelt “Shariah”, is often mentioned in the mainstream media with little or no understanding of its meaning or ethos. Online, Sharia Law is often written about by people who either, do not understand it at all, or are just so biased against it that they have no wish to portray or quote it accurately. Why does Sharia Law cause such an emotive response from those who are against it. The answer may lay in lack of knowledge of Sharia Law, miss-understanding of Sharia Law, bias against Sharia Law, bigotry against Sharia Law, propaganda against Sharia Law, religious jealousy or competition against Sharia Law or just plain old thuggery against the fastest growing religion in the world. To understand those who appear to be anti Sharia Law, is a complex phenomenon, whose root or cause is quite nebulous to an ordinary, decent person. Sharia Law has been around... Read more →

Disdain For Workers - Tory Minister

Paul Krugman article on the disdain the republican Mitt Romney has shown for the workers of America. On this side of the Atlantic Tory Minister Andrew Mitchell calls police man a “f....... pleb, when the policeman was trying to do his job. Is this a sign of our age, where bankers are subsidised by tax payer money and the working 99% are made to suffer austerity. Read more →

Protesters Storm Benghazi HQ of Militia

Some citizens of Benghazi are protesting against Ansar Al Sharia and other militia groups, which attacked the American consulate last week. The protestors are calling for ceasing of activities of armed groups that have formed since the killing of Colonel Gaddafi last year. Many of these militias were armed by the international coalition. Read more →

KFC Shuts All Pakistan Outlets due to Protests

Yum! Brands is shutting all of its KFC franchises in Pakistan in the wake of anti-American protests there, after one of its KFC restaurants was attacked in Lebanon last week. There are more than 60 KFC restaurants in 21 Pakistani cities. Another division of the company called KFC Arabia has outlets in 11 Middle East cities. Other American owned outlets in the Middle East affected by the protests about the anti-Islamic film include Hardee’s and Krispy Kreme. Read more →

Genetically Modified (GM) - Fed Rat Study Triggers Furore

A row has broken out over a French study claiming to have found tumours and other problems in rats fed on GM Maize and exposed to a common associated herbicide. The rats ate the GM food over a 2 year period, a normal lifetime of these rats. The study’s results are far more reliable than previous research because of the longer period of observation, said team leader Gilles-Eric Seralini. The rodents were given a diet that included the engineered maize known as NK603, a product of the multi-national company, Monsanto. But independent scientists criticised the study for its statistical methods and for using the wrong umourstype of rat. Read more →

China Hints at Bond Attack on Japan over Disputed Islands

A senior advisor to the Chinese government has called for an attack on the Japanese bond market to precipitate a funding crisis and bring the country to its knees, unless Tokyo reverses its decision to nationalize the disputed Senkaku/Diaoyu islands in the East China Sea, states a report in The Telegraph Newspaper. Read more →

Violent Chinese Protests over Japanese Purchase of Islands in East China Sea

Anti-Japanese protests spread to 85 cities across China. This forced many Japanese factories in China to shut down and suspend operations. The Hong Kong Economic Journal reported that China is drawing up plans to cut of Japan’s supplies of rare earth metals needed for hi-tech industry in Japanese companies. China has historically disagreed with Japan over the ownership of these small islands. Read more →

Italian Verdict Upheld on CIA Agents in Rendition and Torture of Abu Omar

Highest appeal court in Italy has upheld guilty verdicts on 23 Americans accused of kidnapping a terror suspect. All but one of the Americans is CIA agents. The one person was a Pilot. The Egyptian cleric was kidnapped in Milan in 2003. Abu Omar states that he was flown to Egypt and tortured for seven months. The court upheld sentences from seven to nine years in prison. However, Italy has never requested their extradition from America, where they are believed to be living. The Court of Cassation also ruled that five senior Italian secret service agents, including the former head of the country's military intelligence agency, should be tried for their role in the kidnapping. Nicolo Pollari resigned over the affair in which Hassan Mustafa Osama Nasr, an Egyptian imam also known as Abu Omar, was snatched from a Milan street. Read more →

French Magazine Publishes Cartoons of Prophet Mohammed

Is this French Magazine adding fuel to the protests which are now occurring in over 30 countries? France has announced that it will close its embassies and schools in 20 countries. Some French commentators are now speaking about the balance of free speech and responsibility for inciting anger amongst some communities. Read more →

French Magazine to Publish Cartoons of Prophet Mohammed (pbuh)

Depictions of the Prophet are prohibited and seen as unacceptable by Muslims. The Muslim community find it totally unacceptable for anyone to disrespect or abuse the Prophets (Mohammed, Jesus, Moses, Abraham and others). Therefore, the intention of ‘Charlie Hebdo’ magazine is likely to inflame the Muslim community worldwide. This Magazine has a history of such action. In 2011 the offices of “Charlie Hedbo” were bombed after it published similar offensive material. The Imam of the biggest Masjid in Paris has appealed for Muslims to remain calm according to the French news agency AFP. Read more →

Naked’ Body Scanners at Airports Scrapped

The security scanners failed to receive approval in Europe. Many critics said they were invaders of privacy and pose a health risk. European airports cannot use these devices after the end of October. Many people including Muslim women objected to being scanned. The scanners showed a great deal of detail of the body being scanned. Read more →

Anti-Islamic Video: Egypt orders arrest of US-based Copts

Egyptian authorities in Cairo have ordered the arrest of seven US-based Egyptian Coptic Christians for their alleged involvement in an anti-Islam video. One woman and seven men are accused of "insulting the Islamic religion, insulting the Prophet and inciting sectarian strife", according to the prosecutor's office. The video clip posted on Youtube.com has caused millions of Muslims in over 30 countries to protest about the controversial movie. Many demonstrations have turned violent with many injured and dozens of death so far. Read more →

Secret Video: On Israel, Mitt Romney Trashes Two State Solution for Palestinians

Mitt Romney candidate for American Presidential Elections calls Middle East peace ”almost unthinkable” and says he would “kick the ball down the field”, says a report by David Corn on Motherjones.com At a private fundraiser held May 17 where tickets cost $50,000 per plate, Romney discusses various foreign policy positions, including his belief that an independent Palestinian state is not feasible. The report by David Corn quotes Romney saying “the Palestinians” as a united bloc of one mindset and he said: “I look at the Palestinians not wanting to see peace anyway, for political purposes, committed to the destruction and elimination of Israel, and these thorny issues, and I say there’s just no way.” Romney is further quoted as saying: “So what you do is, you say, you move things along the best way you can. You hope for some degree of stability, but you recognize that this is going... Read more →

Anti-Islam Film Maker Nakoula Basseley Nakoula Questioned by Authorities and Released

The 55 year old is on probation after being convicted for fraud, was interviewed and released. There is no detail of his breaking the terms of his probation, which banned him from using the internet and adopting aliases. It is reported widely that he used the name Sam Bacile, an action which potentially affected his probation conditions. According to The Associated Press, the Egyptian born filmmaker has gone into hiding. Normally a person in America who breaks his probation conditions will be sent back to prison. In the case of Nakoula, he seems to have left the local sheriff’s office and disappeared. Some 20 Muslim Countries have seen large protests against this film which is seen as hateful by Muslims. The latest protest joiners are Kashmiri Muslims in Srinagar, in Indian Occupied Kashmir. Read more →

Libya Embassy Attack Not Premeditated

U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Susan Rice said the attack on the American consulate in Benghazi last week was not premeditated, directly contradicting top Libyan officials who say the attack was planned in advance. Rice’s account directly contradicts that of Libyan President Mohamed Yousef El-Magariaf, who said this weekend that he had “no doubt” the attack was pre-planned by individuals from outside Libya. http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/politics/2012/09/ambassador-susan-rice-libya-attack-not-premeditated/ Read more →

Private Healthcare Firms set for a £20 billion NHS Bonanza

“In Jeremy Hunt we have a health secretary who bent over backwards in his last job to promote powerful private interests.” Says Andy Burnham, the Shadow Health Secretary. A number of £100 million+ contracts have been awarded to Circle, Virgin Care and Serco. Many politicians and healthcare practitioners stated that the government has opened the floodgates with the Health Act that places a market free for all at the heart of health. The question the ordinary person should be concerned with is that, will these changes make the NHS more like the American system, where healthcare costs have gone through the roof in the last decade or so. Read more →

Anti-Islamic movie causes more attacks on American Embassies

More than a dozen American embassies in Muslim countries have been attacked. In addition Muslims in Australia have been involved in violent protests, where police forces have had to use police dogs and pepper spray to control the demonstrators. In response to worsening safety conditions America has ordered all its citizens to evacuate from Tunisia. The Arab World is again front page news worldwide after the “Arab Spring” last year. Many expert commentators state that they are not able to predict where this current uprising is going. Many government officials in America and the Muslim world are trying to calm the rage of the demonstrators, but with little success so far. Read more →

Automatic Enrolment into Pension for millions of low paid workers

Employers have to automatically enrol workers who are not in a qualifying pension scheme, are at least 22 years old and earn more than £8,105 a year. The employee will pay 2% from oct. 2012 and increase up to 8% from oct. 2018. Employees have the right to opt out but it seems not many people have been informed of these changes and there implications. The poor and the low earners who are already struggling with making ends meet will have additional money taken from their pay packets. The timing of such a program is questioned by some commentators, but no real discussion seems to be in progress in the main media. One estimate highlighted on the BBC, shows that someone who is 22 years old today and earning above the £8,105 will after 46 years receive £3,600 per annum in pension from the scheme. Most workers who are in... Read more →

$100k for iPhone 5 case encrusted with Jewels in 18 carat white gold

The phone case is encrusted with 2,830 blue Ceylon sapphires totalling 169.8 carats. The apple logo is set with 38 rubies and a single marquise cut green sapphire as the apples’s leaf. Customers can also personalise the design, metal or different colour sapphires. Read more →

Australian Islamic Community regarding the protest in Sydney

Media Release: Statement from Leaders of the Australian Islamic Community regarding the protest in Sydney Leaders of Australia's Islamic community condemn the violent scenes that were seen on the streets of Sydney yesterday. The protest was not sanctioned or authorised by any Islamic organisation. Although we believe in the right to protest and freedom of speech, it cannot be seen as freedom of speech to insult religions, Prophets and the sacred values or articles of people. Accordingly, we condemn in the strongest possible terms, the provocative and offensive content of the film depicting the Prophet Muhammad that was recently released. However, such insults do not provide individuals with the right to react violently against others and retaliate in a manner as was demonstrated by a few of the protesters yesterday. Although we understand that many in the world are deeply offended by the release of the offensive film, we call... Read more →

Google Refuses to Remove Anti-Islamic Video

Google view is that video does not violate terms of service for YouTube, which is owned by Google. It is reported by The New York Times, that the Google owned site doesn’t have any intention of taking it down. The request to review the listing of the video on YouTube came from the White House on Friday, because it was stirring violent protest worldwide. Read more →

Anti-Islam Film Linked Man taken in For Questioning

Nakoula Basseley Nakoula, a Californian man who has convictions for Bank fraud, has been taken in for question by officers investigating potential violations of his probation. American officials have reportedly said that they were not investigating the production of the film, even if it caused violence or was inflammatory to Muslim sensibilities, since America has free speech laws. Nakoula was sentenced for 21 months for bank fraud in 2010, with five years on supervised probation. Nokoula’s probation terms bar him from accessing the Internet and assuming aliases without approval of the probation service. He was not handcuffed when he was brought in for questioning. Read more →

World Hijab Day

Today September 4th 2012, is World Hijab Day. The topic is apparently trending in some parts of the world. A quick look on twitter seems to show that in Pakistan it is trending. It’s a great idea to show solidarity for freedom of choice for Muslim women. Some countries have been anti-Hijab and some like France have banned the Hijab in public places. Freedom in religious practice should be a human right for all. Read more →