Market bombs 'kill dozens' in Pakistan's Lahore [Video]

Two bomb blasts have ripped through a busy market in the centre of Pakistan's second largest city, Lahore, killing at least 30 people, police and medics say.

The attack, which injured some 100 people, sparked a huge blaze at the city's Moon Market at 2045 local time.

The toll may rise further as fire-fighters battle to control the blaze.

The blasts came just hours after a suicide bomber on a rickshaw killed at least 10 people in Peshawar when he blew himself up near the courthouse.

In Lahore, emergency vehicles and police officers are at the scene of the blast, where television pictures showed smoke rising and cars burning.

Market blaze
One official said the blasts happened in quick succession and that dozens were injured when the blast struck the market, crammed with shoppers and traders.

"The fire engulfed a building and shops. There were two blasts with an interval of about 30 seconds," senior city police official Shafiq Ahmad told French news agency AFP.

"One was in front of a bank and one was in front of a police station."

The two buildings targeted were about 30m apart - one on the edge of the market and the other at its centre.

The BBC's Aleem Maqbool, in Islamabad, says eyewitnesses say that much of the market remains inaccessible.

Punjab Law Minister Rana Sanaullah said the bombs were apparently remote-controlled devices, AP reports.

More than 400 people have been killed during a string of attacks mounted by Islamist militants in recent weeks, as an army offensive targeting the Taliban stronghold in the country's north-west continues.

Close to the country's border with India, Lahore has been hit several times by militants over the past year.

Earlier in the day, a suicide bomber detonated about 6kg (13lb) of explosives outside a courthouse in the north-western city of Peshawar.

The attack killed 10 people - including a policeman - and wounded 44 others.

BBC

British soldier becomes the 100th to die in Afghanistan this year

The British death toll in Afghanistan rose to 100 today when a soldier from the 1st Battalion The Royal Anglian Regiment was shot and killed by small arms fire in central Helmand province.

It is the worst annual casualty toll for Britain’s Armed Forces since troops were first sent to Afghanistan in 2001, and is double the number who died last year.

However, General Sir David Richards, the head of the Army, warned that the campaign in Afghanistan must not be judged by casualties alone.

"The death of this brave soldier is a huge loss to his family and friends. For those of us in the Army, whilst we grieve for a fallen comrade, his loss hardens our determination to succeed,” General Richards said.

“The temptation to judge this essential campaign by casualties alone undervalues the tremendous efforts of our forces and our allies, and the progress they are making."

Gordon Brown said: “Today we mourn together the 100th British fatality in Afghanistan in 2009. We will never forget those who have died fighting for our country and we must also honour their memory.”

Mr Brown vowed to stay the course and finish the mission.

The soldier who died was killed in the Nad-e Ali area in central Helmand this afternoon. The area has been a hotbed of Taleban activity. His next of kin have been informed and his name will be released tomorrow.

The huge rise in British casualties this year – more than 430 have also been wounded in action – reflects the devastating strategy adopted by the Taleban insurgents, who have resorted to industrial-scale laying of improvised explosive devices (IEDs).

Three quarters of the 100 who have died this year were killed by concealed IEDs. Despite an influx of 6,000 US Marines into Helmand in May and additional British troops to project military power into the most densely populated areas of the province, the insurgents have not been cowed and appear to have an inexhaustible supply of bomb-making equipment.

The soldier who died today was the victim of gunshot wounds, a further reminder that in the back alleys and hostile compounds where the Taleban hide, even the best equipped and best-trained professional soldier can easily fall prey to a determined insurgent armed only with a Kalashnikov and wearing little more than an outer ankle-length garment, a turban and a pair of flip-flops.

The Taleban have taken the fight to their enemy this year in a manner last witnessed when the Russians were the occupiers in the 1980s. While the British and the other Nato and non-Nato partners have learnt to adapt their tactics and have killed thousands of the Taleban and their affiliated militia and terrorist associates, they have faced an opposition which can count on a stream of volunteers from among local unemployed young Afghans who melt back into their family compounds and poppy fields at the end of a fighting day.

Britain has had to send increasingly bigger and better protected armoured vehicles to defend against the Taleban’s bombs and ambushes, but the insurgents rely on motorbikes to make their getaway. It is asymmetric David-and-Goliath warfare.

Bob Ainsworth, the Defence Secretary, admitted this had been a challenging year for the Armed Forces in Afghanistan, but added: “I believe we must keep at the forefront of our minds why our people are in Afghanistan and the progress and achievements they have and continue to make alongside our international partners.”

Air Chief Marshal Sir Jock Stirrup, the Chief of the Defence Staff, said: “Our people face a difficult and dangerous task in Afghanistan, and 2009 has been a particularly challenging year. Each death is a sad loss, and we mourn every one. We remember those who have given their lives, the bereaved families and friends who are left behind, and all those who have been injured.”

He said the British Armed Forces had brought security to more of the population of Helmand, and had helped the Afghan National Army to develop its own capabilities.

The British troops have suffered more than any other other Nato nation in Afghanistan apart from the United States because the majority of the 10,000 serving in the country are in Helmand, where the Taleban have been focusing their main effort. The insurgents still dominate large parts of the province.

There has been an intense debate this year about whether the equipment and vehicles provided to British troops in Afghanistan have been adequate to protect them from IEDs. There have been calls for more helicopters, and additional aircraft have been ordered for the troops. But military commanders insist that patrols and hearts-and-minds initiatives among the Afghan people have to be carried out on foot.

British forces were first deployed to Afghanistan in November 2001 when Royal Marines helped to secure Bagram airfield near Kabul as part of the US-led invasion after the 9/11 terrorist attacks.

Several hundred more troops followed but the human cost remained relatively low until Britain sent 3,300 troops of 16 Air Assault Brigade to Helmand in the spring of 2006.

There were only five British fatalities between 2001 and 2005. In 2006, 39 died. In 2007 it was 42 and last year it rose to 51.

Part of the reason for the doubling of fatal casualties this year has been the deliberate strategy of the UK Task Force and the Americans to try to drive the Taleban out of central Helmand. In Operation Panther’s Claw in the summer, 3,000 British troops fought their way through areas such as Babaji and Nad-e Ali. The operation was regarded as a success, but the casualty toll soared.

General Richards has warned that British troops could be engaged in a combat role in Afghanistan for another three to five years, raising the prospect of a final casualty toll far in excess of past campaigns.


British soldier becomes the 100th to die in Afghanistan this year - Times Online

Can Obama Keep Eastward-Looking Turkey On Side?

A distant analysis.. Turkey for example has to be seen as more than a US goal.. if it is ever to become a part of Europe.

"The U.S. side needs to impress diplomatically on Prime Minister Erdogan how much his anti-Western populist rhetoric damages Turkey's position with its key partners and pro-Turkey constituencies in Washington and Brussels," [..]

The Prime Minister and his ministers have racked up dozens of visits to the Middle East and gulf this year, shoring up trade deals and political ties. They have visited Brussels many fewer times.

In part, this is Europe's fault. Germany's Angela Merkel and France's Nicholas Sarkozy have made little secret of their distaste for Turkey's eventual membership.

"The U.S. must ... convince Erdogan that explicitly resurrecting the E.U. goal is vital, and that recent E.U. coldness towards Turkey is not forever," [..]

Obama, who shied away from a campaign pledge to recognize the 1915 mass killings of Armenians by Ottoman soldiers as genocide in favor of supporting a bilateral peace process, will press Erdogan to ratify the deal in parliament as soon as possible.

Here's some of the troubling rhetoric - on genocide:

Earlier, Turkish media reported that Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan had questioned the ICC charges against al-Bashir [Sudan] and said that "no Muslim could perpetrate a genocide." [+]

One of Barack Obama's first overseas trips as President was to Turkey. When he visited in April he focused on the significant role the country — mainly Muslim, officially secular, and a member of NATO — has to play in the Middle East. Heralding "a model partnership," Obama said Ankara had an important part to play in global peace. "Turkey is a critical ally. Turkey is an important part of Europe. And Turkey and the United States must stand together," he told Turkish MPs in parliament.

The eight months since have been a mixed bag. Yes, Turkey has agreed to diplomatic normalization with neighbor and historic foe Armenia, and announced plans to end a two-decade war against Kurdish rebels that threatens to spill over into Iraq. But both developments have yet to be formalized. And Ankara has stirred hostility against Israel, a traditional ally, and its pursuit of closer commercial and political ties with the Muslim world, including Iran, has raised fears of a drift eastwards.

(See the top 10 players in Iran's power struggle.)
That trend is sure to be the undertone during discussions between Obama and Turkey's Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Monday, when the two leaders meet in Washington to discuss a high-stakes list of concerns topped by Afghanistan and Iran. "The U.S. side needs to impress diplomatically on Prime Minister Erdogan how much his anti-Western populist rhetoric damages Turkey's position with its key partners and pro-Turkey constituencies in Washington and Brussels," analyst Hugh Pope wrote in a recent paper for the Transatlantic Academy.

Before leaving for the U.S, Erdogan said Turkey was already "doing what it can" in Afghanistan, suggesting the Turks will resist Obama's call to commit more troops. Turkey has 1,750 soldiers in the Hindu Kush on a strictly humanitarian, noncombat mission that includes building roads and schools and patrolling Kabul. Ankara is wary of fighting fellow Muslims in a region with which it also has historic ties. "A midway solution could be for Turkey to increase its troops but not engage in warfare in southern provinces like Kandahar and Helmand," says Cengiz Candar, a commentator for the Radikal newspaper.

(See pictures of Obama in Turkey.)
There are also differences over how to deal with Iran's nuclear program. Although Turkish diplomats insist that Ankara is opposed to any development of nuclear weapons in neighboring Iran, Erdogan has in recent months strengthened diplomatic and trade ties with Tehran, which is a key gas supplier to Turkey. The Turks abstained last month in a U.N. vote condemning Iran's nuclear activities, despite China and Russia's support for it. Erdogan has also criticized Western leaders for turning a blind eye to Israel, widely seen as the Middle East's only nuclear power — albeit an undeclared one. Turkey's relations with Israel soured during Israel's invasion of Gaza last year. At a Davos forum in January, an irate Erdogan accused Israeli President Shimon Peres of "murdering children" and stormed out. The two countries, historically strong strategic allies, have since lurched from one crisis to another.

Despite the potential for disagreements, the Obama Administration considers Turkey a crucial ally in a region riddled with conflict. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton played a key role in ensuring a last-minute deal in August between Turkey and Armenia aimed at normalizing diplomatic relations and eventually opening their long-closed border. That agreement is one of the U.S. Administration's chief foreign policy successes to date. Obama, who shied away from a campaign pledge to recognize the 1915 mass killings of Armenians by Ottoman soldiers as genocide in favor of supporting a bilateral peace process, will press Erdogan to ratify the deal in parliament as soon as possible.

(Read "Friends No More? Why Turkey and Israel Have Fallen Out.")
The two are also likely to discuss Turkey's decades-old bid to become part of the European Union, an ambition that Erdogan's Islamic-rooted government appears to have placed on the back burner. The Prime Minister and his ministers have racked up dozens of visits to the Middle East and gulf this year, shoring up trade deals and political ties. They have visited Brussels many fewer times. In part, this is Europe's fault. Germany's Angela Merkel and France's Nicholas Sarkozy have made little secret of their distaste for Turkey's eventual membership. "The U.S. must ... convince Erdogan that explicitly resurrecting the E.U. goal is vital, and that recent E.U. coldness towards Turkey is not forever," says Pope. That sentiment would mean more if it came from Europe.
Read "Fifty Years On, Turkey Still Pines to Become European."

TIME

Holy War at Home: Fighting a Domestic Islamic Threat [Video]

Holy War at Home 12/2/2009
Federal officials believe a group of 20 young Somali men from Minneapolis have been recruited by terrorist groups and left the country for Somalia over the last two years.

Bomb Explodes Near Pakistani Court 12/7/2009 [Video]

A bomb exploded close to a Pakistani court in the city of Peshawar. At least five people were killed in the attack, officials said, and emergency services tended to others who were wounded.

This unfortunately is Pakistan's first bomb of the day - there was a second in Lahore.

Iran protests [Photos]

Pro-reform Iranian students surrounding hard-line students, center face to camera, during their demonstrations, at the Tehran University campus in Tehran, Iran, Monday, Dec. 7, 2009.

No reporters on the ground - who are not working for the Iranian gov. so pictures have to smuggled out.

The protests came on National Student Day, an official holiday in which the government commemorates the 1953 killings of three students by the shah of Iran, who was overthrown 30 years ago by Islamist revolutionaries. Antigovernment activists had signaled they would take advantage of the day to protest despite repeated warnings by the authorities. [+]

Iran shows pro-reform Iranian students and hard-line students scuffling during their demonstrations, at the Tehran University campus in Tehran, Iran, Monday, Dec. 7, 2009. The potential for violence inside the campuses was high. Some 2,000 Basiji students were brought into Tehran University early Monday _ obstensively to hold a celebration for the Shiite holiday, but such hard-line students are often used to crush pro-reform rallies on campus. Pro-reform campus groups have called for students across the country to turn out Monday for massive rallies at universities against Iran's clerical leadership _ the first major protest in more than a month.

Pro-reform Iranian students, marching during their protest at the Tehran University campus in Tehran, Iran, Monday, Dec. 7, 2009. Security forces and pro-government militiamen clashed with protesters shouting "death to the dictator" outside Tehran University on Monday, beating men and women with batons and firing tear gas, on a day of nationwide student demonstrations, witnesses said.

Iran shows an anti-government Iranian female student wearing a green scarf, the symbolic color of opposition, as she covers her face, during a protest, at the Tehran University campus in Tehran, Iran, Monday, Dec. 7, 2009.

Female anti-government Iranian female student holding a banner that reads: "death to the dictator" during a protest at Tehran University campus in Tehran, Iran, Monday, Dec. 7, 2009.

Iran shows a pro-reform Iranian students beaten by hard-liners during their demonstrations, at the Tehran University campus in Tehran, Iran, Monday, Dec. 7, 2009. The potential for violence inside the campuses was high. Some 2,000 Basiji students were brought into Tehran University early Monday _ ostensibly to hold a celebration for the Shiite holiday, but such hard-line students are often used to crush pro-reform rallies on campus. Pro-reform campus groups have called for students across the country to turn out Monday for massive rallies at universities against Iran's clerical leadership _ the first major protest in more than a month.

Pro-gov. gals

Pro-government female Iranian students chanting slogans as they hold posters of the late revolutionary founder Ayatollah Khomeini, and supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, during their demonstration, at Tehran University campus in Tehran, Iran, Monday, Dec. 7, 2009. The potential for violence inside the campuses was high.

Can't help thinking this guy looks somewhat bewildered - almost like why would people not support this Islamic government.

Pro-government Iranian man holding a poster of the late revolutionary founder Ayatollah Khomeini, on the main gate of the Tehran University campus in Tehran, Iran, Monday, Dec. 7, 2009.

Pro-government Iranian students burning a representation of the US flag, during their demonstration, at the Tehran University campus in Tehran, Iran, Monday, Dec. 7, 2009.

Pakistan Iranian protests

Iranian protesters hold picture showing Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad as Hitler during a rally Monday, Dec. 7, 2009 in Islamabad, Pakistan. Protesters condemned the crackdown in Tehran University by the government.

Iranian protesters holds picture of Iran President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad during a rally Monday, Dec. 7, 2009 in Islamabad, Pakistan

Mothers Arrested Before Opposition Rally in Iran

Man-o-man!!

Ahead of a planned opposition rally on Monday, Iran tightened security and arrested over 20 mothers who were mourning children killed in the unrest that has broken out since the disputed June 12 elections.

The mothers took part in an antigovernment protest in Leleh Park in central Tehran every Saturday since the death in June of Neda Agha-Soltan, 26, whose shooting became a symbol of the government’s violent repression. The rally had been attacked by the police before, but Saturday was the first time the mothers were arrested.

An opposition Web site reported that the protest was broken up by the police and many demonstrators were taken away. The BBC Persian service quoted a witness who said 29 women were arrested, some of whom were later released. But at least 21 remained in jail, the BBC said.

Ms. Agha-Soltan’s mother regularly attended the rally, but it was not clear whether she was there on Saturday or was among those arrested.

The arrests appear to be part of the government’s increasing efforts to suppress a large rally planned for Monday on National Student Day.

The authorities have ordered foreign news media not to cover the event and Internet service was reduced to a trickle on Saturday, so slow that it was impossible to “open e-mails or any Web pages,” a journalist in Tehran said.

The measure appeared to be aimed at preventing information about the crackdown or the protest to get outside the country and also to deprive the opposition from its key means, the Internet and Facebook, to mobilize their supporters. Videos posted online have played a critical role in showing the world what has been happening inside Iran.

The government has also arrested dozens of student leaders in Tehran and across the country in the past weeks. However, students continued to say they would hold demonstrations at universities around the country on Monday. In Tehran, the nightly rooftop chants of “Allahu akbar,” meaning “God is great,” an opposition ritual since June, were louder than usual Sunday night.

“The chants rocked Tehran,” said the journalist, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, out of fear for his safety. “People will also go out tomorrow but only to stop the traffic. It won’t be as large as previous protests.”

There are no plans for street demonstrations on Monday but students plan to hold demonstrations inside universities, which security forces are banned from entering. However, hard-line members of the Basij militia force at the universities often raid the student protests.

Mir Hussein Moussavi, one of the two opposition leaders who ran against President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in June, issued a statement on Sunday characterizing the movement “as alive” despite government suppression.

He warned that the authorities could not end the protests with the arrests of students because one in 20 Iranians were university students, several opposition sites reported. “They are asking us to forget about the election results as though people are concerned only about the elections,” he said. “How can we make them understand that this is not the issue? It is not about who the president is or is not; the issue is that they have sold out a great nation.”

Mr. Moussavi has been issuing statements regularly since June. Despite threats of arrest, he remains free, but his movement is restricted, according to an ally outside the country.

His comments were followed by criticism of the government by Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, an influential politician who sided with the opposition but had been silent recently.

“Constructive criticism is not tolerated in the country,” Mr. Rafsanjani said at a meeting with students in the city of Mashad, according to the Web site mowjcamp.com. “It was not right to put the Basij and the Revolutionary Guards to confront the people.”

Next Saturday, six months after Election Day, protests are planned around the world “to honor the Iranian people’s peaceful struggle for their human and civil rights,” according to the organizer, United4Iran, a network of activists supporting human rights in Iran.

NY Times

Iran-Tehran student protests [Video]

16th Azar (Dec.7.09) Tehran/Iran


Here is some of what these students of the Students Committee in Iran - might be chanting - 'Death to the Dictator'. And 'what has happened to the oil revenue - it has gone to the pockets of the Basiji'. Notice also the Iranian flags being flown are without the Islamic symbol. [+]

دانشگاه تهران - 16 آذر88

Iran Tehran sharif Uni دانشجو ميميرد ذلت نمي پذيرد

Iran Khajeh Nasir Uni Students 7 dec 09 (16 Azar) Protest P37 Shmayyd media ...
Students chanted "traitor Mahmoud displaced guides, soil Kurdish homeland in ruins ..." Head to the students ...

دانشجویان شعار "محمود خائن آواره گردی، خاک وطن را ویرانه کردی ..." را سر می دهند ,دانشجویان دانشگاه خواجه نصیر ، پرچم ایران بدون آرم جمهوری اسلامی

رسانه شمایید لطفا اطلاع رسانی کنید

07-12-2009-IRAN-TEHRAN-320
Eclusive Elsm Va Sannat university Tehran - 16 Azar - دانشگاه science and made


16 Azar Iran/Tehran خروش پلی تکنیک

Iran police clash with anti-government demonstrators at universities chanting "Death to the dictator" [Video]

"Death to the dictator"

Iran Chokes Off Internet on Eve of Protests Authorities choked off Internet access and warned journalists working for foreign media to stick to their offices for the next three days.

Around the country, mobile phone networks were cut off and foreign media had been banned from covering the annual commemoration of the killing of three students under the former shah in 1953.

Supporters of opposition leader Mirhossein Mousavi chanted "Death to the dictator" and "Do not be scared. We are all together", according to witnesses at public rallies on university campuses.

Up to 20 mothers who have staged weekly protests in central Tehran's Laleh Park were in custody after a round-up.

The group detained reportedly included the mother of Neda Agha-Soltan, 26, who was shot by pro-government militia at the height of the protests. Hajar Rostami-Motlaq, Miss Soltan's mother, condemned pro-government students who staged a reconstruction of the incident outside the British embassy last week. That rally blamed British agents for killing Miss Soltan and demanded the extradition of Arash Hejazi, the doctor who tried to save her life and subsequently fled to Oxford.

Iran's Islamic regime has failed to crush protests against the outcome of the June presidential election, which returned President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to power amid accusations of ballot rigging.

"Police fired tear gas at demonstrators in Vali-ye Asr Square ... they are clashing with protesters," a witness reported.

Television pictures showed hundreds of men and women gathering in front of Tehran university gates, giving hand gestures of "V" for victory.

Riot police surrounded Tehran University, where the main state rally was held, to prevent the opposition from staging new demonstrations against the government.

Iran's Revolutionary Guards and Basij militia had warned the opposition not to use the rally to revive protests against the clerical establishment after the June vote.
Internet connections were slow or completely down.

"The network in central Tehran and near Tehran university is completely down," said the Rah-e Sabz website.

Mr Mousavi issued a message that warned the country's leadership that popular frustration was continuing to grow.

"You fight people on the streets, but you are constantly losing your dignity in people's minds," Mr Mousavi, a former prime minister, said. "Even if you silence all the universities, what are you going to do with the society?"

Clashes between police and students were reported at a handful of universities in the capital and other large cities.

Iranian students were commemorating three scholars who were killed by Shah Mohammed Reza Pahlavi's security forces on Dec 7, 1953, as they protested the ouster of Prime Minister Mohammed Mossadegh. Opposition websites announced plans to hold rallies this year to reinvigorate protests prompted by Iranian officials said 36 people were killed in the clashes that followed the election, while the opposition put the toll at 72 and said some of the deaths were the result of beatings during detention.

Telegraph

Woman & Sharia - Obama's faith adviser Dalia Mogahed pushes for the law she say's is just misunderstood [Video]

Date: October 27, 2009

Obama's Muslim faith-based adviser - claims in this clip from an hour long program with Link TV - that Sharia law punishments are meant to be equally applied both the men and women. Wisely - someone in the youtube comments pointed out that there is no allowance for Muslim women to beat their men. But we can also look at treatments - a woman's word is worth half in the court - and with inheritance she is also cut down to half of her brother's lot. In any case the Sharia law punishments Dalia M. speaks of - include stoning, flogging and beheading. It is incredible how she is off at every opportunity batting for Sharia - a law diametrically opposed to human rights and freedom and democracy as we know it - while working for the Obama administration. Her continued appointment raises a lot of questions.

She goes on to do a further plug for Sharia finance - saying that Muslim governments emerged unscathed by the financial crisis. No doubt she would have to rethink her position due to the chaos in the Dubai financial market.

This second video taken from the same interview - goes to the heart of my concerns about Islam in the western world. The man Reza Suarez - says that religion can't be separated when a person makes decisions about policy. This goes to the point that if there are enough Muslims - then they can simply vote for Sharia law or similar such laws - in a western democracy. And we should be worried.

Reza S. states that Sharia law in Egypt is simply on the books and is not observed. Tell that to the people trying to leave Islam - whereas the constitution allows for freedom of religion.

The Islamic Divide at Work: Advice for French Bosses

In the UK a few Islamic girls were training as surgical assistants to work in the operating room - because of extreme ideas about modesty - refused to wash or scrub up to the elbow as is required under hygiene standards. The UK health authority made to decision - rightly to let them go - in a hospital setting one's religious beliefs should not be tolerated to the point where patients' lives would be placed in danger.

Muslims have refused - use the anti-bacterial solution for hands when visiting hospitals - because it contains alcohol. Perhaps the health authority is too politically correct to inform Muslim visitors that the human body produces approximately 1 oz. or 28 ml of natural alcohol in the gut/ stomach each day.

There was one case of a Muslim teacher's assistant who showed up to an interview in a headscarf - where a man was present. Though once she got the job at the Church of England school - she insisted on wearing the full burqa/veil saying that she would only take it off if there were no male teachers present - rightly she was fired and her appeal quashed.



There has to be a limit.

Whereas Egypt has banned women medical staff wearing the face veil in hospitals - the UK allows it (picture). The World Health Organisation has determined that the patient has the right to know who they are being treated by.


Are European societies anti-Islam? That's a question more people are asking in the wake of Switzerland's referendum to ban the building of minarets in the Alpine country. Almost 6 out of 10 Swiss voters supported the ban — charges of racism be damned. France passed a law in 2004 that bans young women from wearing Islamic headscarves in public schools, and has now joined the Netherlands in debating a ban on full-body coverings like a burqa. And Muslims in multicultural Britain have also repeatedly accused officials there of talking down to them with urges to drop clothes that 'form a barrier' between them and mainstream society.

But while these controversies attract attention, there are also efforts to work out solutions to living with religious differences in Europe. Take a recent book by French anthropologists Dounia and Lylia Bouzar, Is There Room for Allah in the Workplace? The book offers legal guidelines on how work-religion conflicts might be examined, as well as practical suggestions on resolving them. "Paradoxically, as the question of the visibility of religious practice crops up regularly in the media, it remains a total haze in the professional world," the book notes.

Previous research indicates that almost a third of French companies are grappling with how to respond to requests from Muslim employees for prayer breaks, Islamic holidays, halal options on cafeteria menus and adapting work assignments to take into account the effects of fasting during the holy month of Ramadan. In their study, which involved over 350 interviews with employees and managers from dozens of companies, the Bouzars found most bosses have tended to improvise reactions to such demands, producing two contrasting excesses. "Managers have tended to either adopt laxity, reasoning 'We've got to accept their differences and avoid perceptions of Islamophobia,'" says Dounia Bouzar, who has previously written several sociological studies of Muslims in France. "Or [they've] exhibited excessive rigidity by replying, 'We've got to help these people to evolve beyond their archaic beliefs by imposing strict secularity at work.'"

The problem, Dounia Bouzar says, is that "those are two sides of the same coin that only reinforce divisive stereotypes. Rather than subjective attitudes or sensibilities, pragmatism should prevail in determining whether individual religious observance is compatible with professional objectives."

So what happens when Muslim employees ask for a prayer area at work? Or when a female staffer wants to wear a headscarf while representing her firm to clients? Or a devout male staffer refuses to shake hands with or meet with women colleagues? First, the authors stress, bosses should deal no differently with religious demands from Muslim workers than with those from Christian, Jewish or Buddhist staff. "Evaluate Mona as you would Martine," Dounia and Lylia Bouzar write.

(Read "Berets and Baguettes? France Rethinks Its Identity.")

The authors also tell bosses "the question you mustn't ask is 'What does your religion say?'" since answers to that will likely be subject to interpretation, and in any case aren't relevant to the work setting. Instead, the study recommends managers analyze how a request will affect objective professional considerations on a series of measures: security, hygiene, performance ability, organization and business interests, as well as the risk of religious employees engaging in proselytizing (or appearing to do so) through their expression of faith. If the impact is small, then a boss should agree to the request. If it's likely to cause a lack of productivity or lead to workplace disputes, then you should probably say no once you've checked labor-law requirements.
(Read "Minaret Ban Challenges Tolerant Swiss Image.")

Case studies include that of a multinational cosmetics firm that decided to hire a highly qualified international marketing executive who interviewed in a headscarf — "from Hermès, but a headscarf nonetheless," the book notes — despite reservations about the covering censoring her own beauty. Another details the case of an airport-security company that dismissed a male employee who walked out of meetings to pray and refused to interact with women. One of those situations was ultimately judged acceptable, while the other was deemed disruptive enough to justify dismissal — and it isn't difficult to see which was which. But that's the Bouzars' point: if France can avoid controversy over Islam and stick to common sense, life and work in the country with Europe's largest Muslim population will get a lot easier for everyone.

The Islamic Divide at Work: Advice for French Bosses

What’s Liberating About Islam?

Palestinian woman

Rules Replace Rational!

"What's liberating about Islam is that one is spared from having to think." This, essentially, is how a woman explained to me the change that had taken place in her life since her conversion to Islam. Since then, I've thought about her many times, especially because at that time I didn't know very much about Islam. Now I've learned more, have gotten to know many more Muslims, and just begun to worry about her lack of thought.

When she explained what was liberating about Islam, it amounted, more or less, to the following: "There are rules for everything. I'm spared from having to think. I just have to learn the rules, and then act. So I know that I'm doing the right thing. It's liberating."

To me, it sounded as if she had entered her second childhood. She was an adult, but had freed herself of responsibility for her actions. Responsibility lay elsewhere. Later, to be sure, her explanation caused me a good deal of unease, mainly because I have become acquainted with a number of the rules she lives by. When she decided to become a Muslim, it was a free choice, but having made that choice she is not free to choose which Islamic rules she will follow and which she will not.

I have since mentioned her attitude to other Muslim women, and to a large extent they shared it. But these are women who were born into Muslim families, and who thus face another "challenge," as they call it: namely, the family. The "family" in question, however, is not a standard-issue Western family consisting of mom, dad, and two kids, but rather an extended family that includes father and mother, their five children, plus the father's siblings and their offspring, plus the mother's siblings and their offspring, and, as time goes by, the spouse's equally sprawling clan. And then there's the "community," in which it isn't necessarily people's national origin that shapes their identity (there is, for example, a great difference between a Pakistani from a big city and one from a rural village), but rather the sheer fact that they are Muslims.

If, in such a context, you don't follow the established rules, you have enough to fight against. In addition, these are collectivist cultures, so the struggle that you need to undertake is not an individual one; everything you say or do involves others in the family - it affects other people than oneself. The responsibility lies in the rules, and a violation of them, or an attempt to redefine them, will have consequences for the rules themselves. Precisely for this reason, it is "only" the scholars who can interpret the rules. It is only they who have sufficient authority to say how Islam should be understood and lived out. If an individual starts making such interpretations, complete chaos may result. Yes, the individual may begin to think for himself or herself, decide for him-or-herself what is right and wrong, and (possibly) accept the consequences of the choice.

The overwhelming majority of my Muslim friends lead lives divided between Western liberal values and Islamic rules. But they "shop" big time. They wear hijab or other ethnic garments for some occasions, keep a change of clothing in their purse if necessary (or in the trunk of a friend's taxicab), they sneak drinks (but don't eat pork), they attend mosque irregularly, they fast, celebrate Eid, have boyfriends, get plastic surgery, some submit to marriages arranged by their families but later divorce, others have their families "arrange" marriages with somebody they've found themselves, they give their children Muslim names and send them to Koran school for the sake of appearances. They do all this and more, all to avoid friction or conflicts with Muslims. This also explains why they marry "their own" - it's simpler, they say. "How would I get a non-Muslim to understand - and live with - all this two-faced stuff we have to do?" one woman asked me.

So I sit here and wonder: we are always discussing Muslims' living conditions and rights, always fretting about religious freedom, human rights and integration, and always doing so in a context in which it is "we" (the majority) who are defined as the problem. "We" want "them" to be like us (assimilation). But can it be that this is simply an internal matter, an issue that can only be resolved within the Muslim community itself? Can it be that various liberal values have become so internalized in at least some Muslims that the fatwas are beginning to lose their value? Have they led Islamic scholars to fear that they're losing power - and thus causing those scholars to tighten their control?

Here in Norway, we saw it in our recent debate on hijab police uniforms, and will see it in our coming debate on religious head coverings for judges in the courtroom; we saw it in connection with the Danish Muhammad cartoons, in the French debate on face coverings, in the British dustup about sharia courts; and we'll probably also see it in the debate about the Swiss ban on minarets - namely, Muslims who don't really feel at all insulted or wounded, but who welcome these debates as opportunities to redefine Islam's rules.

These are Muslims who have been rejected and neglected by conservative Muslims - with the aid of a media establishment that has chosen to serve as a professional mourner for this world's 1.5 billion Muslims. While all the media handwringing benefits some Muslims, it makes life tough for other believers who genuinely aspire to clean up the House of Islam (to at least some extent), but who are silenced by some people's eagerness to "understand" alleged Muslim "offense."

Right Side News

What's the difference: White's Only & Muslim Only ?

Untitled, 1949

Discrimination. Dimmitt, Texas. This is a small, west Texas wheat town with practically no permanent Spanish-American population. The sign is meant for the migratory agricultural worker. [+]

Exeter University UK.

La Trobe University, Australia

Australia: A ROW has erupted over Muslim-only washrooms at La Trobe University that can be accessed only with a secret push-button code.

Muslim students have exclusive access to male and female washrooms on campus, sparking claims of bias and discrimination.

A university student, who did not want to be identified, raised the issue with the Sunday Herald Sun this week.

Australian Family Council spokesman Bill Muehlenberg said concerns over the exclusive facilities were valid.

"Do we have a Christian washroom or an atheist washroom?" he said. "The whole thing is madness."

Mr Muehlenberg said the separate facilities were divisive.

"If Muslims are saying 'we are good Australians and want to integrate', why are they insisting on separate washrooms?" he said. [..] January 28, 2007

:.

UK: Bakery giants Greggs have installed a Muslims-only toilet at their new Scottish headquarters - despite the fact that no Muslims work there.

Workers at the state-of-the-art factory were shocked when they were given a tour of the building and told a cubicle had been fitted for the use of Muslim employees. The staff said they are baffled at the decision because they are not aware of any Islamic workers at the base in Cambuslang, near Glasgow.

Last night, management at the bakery said they had received several requests from all over the country for the exclusive facility. All their new buildings will now be fitted with the specialised toilet regardless of the number of Muslims in the workforce. [..] September 21,2007

Christianity's Minarets Originally Used By Islam To Show Dominance In Conquered Lands

Are Minarets the 'Bayonets of Islam'?

In a public gathering in 1998, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, leader of the ruling Islamist party and current Prime Minister of Turkey, recited: "The mosques are our barracks, the domes our helmets, the minarets our bayonets and the faithful our soldiers..."

These words earned him a conviction and minor jail-term for inciting religious hatred.

Taken from Erdogan's recitation or not, the phrase, minarets our bayonets, it appears, has caught the Swiss with alarm amidst its rising Muslim populations.

In a referendum on Sunday, 29 November 2009, some 58% of Swiss voters backed a ban of minarets on mosque-tops in Switzerland on the ground that it's a symbol of political domination in Islam, which threatens the secular nature of the Swiss society, since there is no separation of religion and politics in Islam.

The backing of the referendum-initiated by right-wing parties, but condemned by the government, major political parties, media and intellectuals, even outside of Switzerland-surprised observers, including initiators of the move, because opinion polls, days earlier, showed only 34% of the voters would back the motion.

Quite understandably, passing of the referendum has caused global uproar and flurry of condemnations. There has been threat of boycott of Swiss products by Islamic countries to hauling the Swiss government before the European Commission and the UN, because legislating the ban would amount to denial of freedom of religion to Muslims.

The backers of the move were quick to reassure Muslims of their religious freedom in Switzerland. Said one activist behind the move, "...this will in no way change their [Muslims'] right to practise their religion, to pray or to gather [in mosques]... However, society wants to put a safeguard on the political-legal wing of Islam, for which there is no separation between state and religion".

While much has been said about the referendum, this article will focus on what minarets represent in Islam, religiously and historically. In other words: Are minarets a symbol of 'political domination' or the 'bayonets' of Islam?

Origin: Not at all Islamic but Christian

Whatever it represents, the bayonet-shaped minarets have become a proud and exclusive symbol of Islam today. Yet, minarets are, fundamentally, neither Islamic nor an innovation of Islam.

Going back to Prophet Muhammad-who basically founded a monotheistic religion, Islam, for the Bedouin desert Arabs, never dreaming it would ever spread out of the Arab Peninsula-he himself had no conception of minarets; he would have duly rejected such sumptuous structures on mosque-tops or attached to them.

Fitting for a desert Prophet and the prevailing sociopolitical situation and institutions, Muhammad founded a creed, perfect for the underdeveloped desert Arab Bedouins. He opposed creating buildings on a grand scale, saying that "Truly the most unprofitable thing that eats the wealth of a believer is building" and that "Every expense of the believer will be rewarded except the expense of the building".

And, despite founding a powerful Islamic state, poised to dominate the world in the next two decades, the two early mosques founded by Muhammad, one in Koba and the Prophet's mosques in Medina, were simple structures until his death. Rain leaked through the roof of his ramshackle mosque in Medina. And when a companion asked if it should be repaired, Muhammad answered: "No, a mosque should be simple and modest, a booth, like the booth of Moses."

Obviously, such structures, as approved by the prophet as mosques, could not even hold minarets on their tops. The idea of minarets never crossed Muhammad's mind. And for eight decades after Muhammad's death, minarets were not a part of mosques.

Minarets became a part of mosques in the period of the "Godless" Umayyad dynasty that came to power by ousting the Prophet's grandson Hasan (661 CE), and later exterminating the Prophet's offspring, including his other grandson Husayn, a pretender to the caliphate (Battle of Karbala, 680 CE). The Godless Umayyads first introduced the tradition of building gorgeous architectural and building structures, including elegant mosques, defying prior tradition and pious Islamic injunctions against it.

Umayyad Caliph al-Walid I (r. 695-715) was the first to introduce minarets to mosques, emulating the steeple, a bell-tower structure that was a feature of Christian churches. This move faced strong resistance from the pious, who objected to constructing anything higher than walls of the mosque. They also condemned the rulers for incorporating Christian symbols to sacred mosques.

Minarets have undergone refinement, becoming a gorgeous architectural symbol of Islam, but it is obviously not Islamic; in fact, it is anti-Islamic and borrowed from Christianity. It's a Christian religious symbol in its originality. Even the term mosque, masjid in Arabic, is also usurped from Christianity; it is an Arabic rendering of the Aramaic term masgeda, then in Christian usage, meaning their 'place of worship'.

What does a minaret represent?

To most observers, minarets would appear as a simple religio-architectural symbol, having nothing to do with 'political power', opposed to what Erdogan and the Swiss voters would have us believe. But minarets have a political dimension, at least, from the viewpoint of its origin and history.

After knocking out the world's second-greatest power, Persia and capturing Central Asia and North Africa, the Umayyads-despite gaining considerable grounds in the Christian East and later in Spain-remained horn-locked in an impossible, and often disastrous, battle with Christian Byzantium as well as Christian Europe. For many centuries, the Christian world remained the enemy par excellence of Islam. Islam's mission of global conquest, initiated by Muhammad, was persistently held back by Christian Europe, despite slowly losing grounds, before attaining supremacy over the Islamic Jihadis and beating them back, and even going on to capture most of the Islamic lands in the so-called Colonial Age.

Only after the Umayyads turned Islam into the master world-power, they started building imposing structures-initially in the form of sumptuous palaces, to which gorgeous mosques, minarets and mausoleums were added later on-all over the conquered lands (although clearly prohibited by Muhammad and the Quran) so as to declare the religious and political supremacy of Islam.

As concerns introduction of minarets, its beginning was, in fact, an act of borrowing the icon from Christian religious structures and using it to declare Islam's supremacy over Christianity, the arch-enemy of Islam. And there was no better place of doing it than in Palestine, the holiest land of Christianity and the birthplace of Jesus. Here, al-Walid I, in 712, constructed first gorgeous mosque, the al-Aqsa mosque, fitted with a dome (of central Asian origin). The dome was constructed using remains of a destroyed church in Asia Minor. Thereafter, minarets began to be added on mosque-tops all over the world.

Hereon, wherever Muslims has gone, mosques, fitted with imposing domes and minarets, became the feature of all political centers of Islam, from India to Spain to Constantinople, declaring the supremacy of Islam and Muslims over non-Muslims. Indeed, building gorgeous mosques with minarets often became the first building initiative, which Islamic conquerors undertook in the newly conquered lands. For example, in India, the construction of the famed Quwat-al-Islam (Might of Islam) Mosque and the Qutb Minar (minaret) in Delhi were undertaken by Islamic conquerors in the 1190s, well before the founding of the permanent Muslim Sultanate in 1206.

Sky-piercing minarets, thus, became the familiar icon of the seats of Islamic power throughout history. Istanbul-the captured heartland of eastern Christianity Constantinople, which became the indomitable powerhouse of the Islamic Ottomans that terrorized Christian Europe for centuries-is also dotted the world's finest minarets, an indication of what Istanbul stood for in the Islamic world. Erdogan, a well-versed Islamist ideologue, could hardly be wrong: Minarets are the 'bayonets', the symbol of Islam's power.

Minarets represent a declaration not only of 'who is in power', but also of the supremacy of the Islamic creed. It is from here the residents, Muslim or non-Muslim, would be reminded, one likes it or not, in ear-blaring loudness five times a day that Islam is in power, that Islam calls the shot, that Islam is your ultimate choice. It's not only a call to prayer to the faithful, but also a call to the infidels for the submission to Islam, five times daily, however irritating it may be.

If one has traveled in Asia, he/she would find that, even in the predominantly infidel cities in India, in Singapore, where Islam has been dislodged from power, thanks to British colonial interventions to some extent, but the people, overwhelmingly non-Muslim, must have to bear with the reminder for submission to Islam five times a day, including the most irritating wee-hour call to prayer.

Islamic power has gone from these lands, but the symbol remains. And, given the high breeding rates amongst Muslims, it also amounts to sign of the things to come again: absence of Islam's hold on power in these lands is not permanent.

The Swiss minaret ban has drawn epithets such as shame, disgrace, Swiss racism, victory of Islamophobia, illiberal decision and so on for the nation. But the Swiss have obviously got it right in taking Erdogan's message seriously: Minarets are Islam's symbol of political domination.

Muslims are the fastest-rising populations in Western countries, with increasing Islamic orthodoxy and radicalism. The Islamic world, somewhat secularized in the Colonial Age and by the western influence of socialism/communism in the early 20th century, is witnessing increasing political integration of Islam, too. It is people like Erdogans, who want to turn minarets into bayonets of Islam, get unrivalled political backing from Muslims. Given these fact, the Swiss, indeed the wider secular West, has much to ponder when those lands are poised to witness Muslim dominance in a century, if not in a half.

Muslim immigrants in Europe today may acquiesce to not using minarets for ear-blaring calls to prayer five times a day as the Swiss Muslims have promised. But that's what minarets are meant for, and they would only be bidding for time: first for being able to use minarets for the loud calls to prayer, and eventually for turning them into the bayonets of Islam by introducing Sharia in the West, something they have been strenuously striving for even at this stage.

M. A. Khan is author of Islamic Jihad: A Legacy of Forced Conversion, Imperialism and Slavery, and the editor of islam-watch.org.

Right Side News

Al-Qaida Confirms "Martyrdom" of Former Guantanamo Detainee in Yemen

Ex Gitmo detainee - gone bye-bye!

Al-Qaida's network in the Arabian Peninsula (Yemen) has released the audio-recorded wills of two mujahideen operatives who were recently "martyred" in clashes with local security forces -- including former Guantanamo Bay detainee #114 Yusuf Muhammad Mubarak al-Jebairy al-Shehri. The younger brother of a senior Al-Qaida member, al-Shehri first left his home in Saudi Arabia in mid-2001 in order to wage jihad alongside the Taliban because he "thought that participating in jihad with the Taliban was the right thing to do... the Taliban were good Muslims.” In the midst of fleeing the crumbling Taliban frontline in late 2001, Yusuf al-Shehri was captured and sent as an Al-Qaida detainee to Guantanamo Bay.

During Yusuf al-Shehri’s eventual hearings before an administrative review panel, several major factors weighed heavily against his release from Guantanamo. According to the Pentagon, a “foreign government service” not only classified him as a “high priority target” among those held in Guantanamo, but in fact, had pegged him at the fourth-top slot on their list. Throughout his questioning and interrogation by U.S. law enforcement and intelligence agencies, “when the detainee has been confronted with his inconsistencies and lies, he has flatly refused to cooperate or has told more lies. The detainee advised that the FBI, the United States, and the interrogators are the enemy.” According to al-Shehri’s case file maintained by the Pentagon:

“The detainee stated he considers all Americans his enemy. The detainee decided that he hates all Americans because they attack his religion, Islam. Since Americans are the detainee's enemy, he will continue to fight them until he dies. The detainee pointed to the sky and told the interviewing agents that he will have a meeting with them in the next life… The detainee cannot understand why the detainees are held in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba with no trial. The detainee has come to believe the reason is that America wants to destroy Islam.”

Yet, despite these disturbing charges in his case file, Yusuf al-Shehri was nonetheless released by the U.S. military from detention in Guantanamo Bay on November 9, 2007, and delivered into the custody of local security forces in Saudi Arabia. It is not known when, how, or why al-Shehri was able to escape his Saudi captors and travel to Yemen.

Counter Terrorism Blog

Veil's spread fans Egypt's fear of hard-line Islam

"Islam says all the woman's body is a temptation."

CAIRO (AP)— When Egypt's government banned Islamic veils and all-encompassing robes in the dorms of public universities, it cited reports of men wearing the garb to sneak into the women's quarters.

But there was a deeper reason behind the move: an intensifying struggle between the moderate Islam championed by the state and a populace that is turning to a stricter version of the faith, whose most visible hallmark is the niqab — the dress that covers the entire female form.

The debate has grown more heated since Mohammad Tantawi, the top cleric at prestigious Al-Azhar University, banned the niqab in classrooms and dorms on the grounds that it "has nothing to do with Islam," and that it was unnecessary since the college is gender-segregated. Meanwhile, the Health Ministry and religious authorities forbade nurses and preachers to wear the niqab.

The moves have angered many women who say they cover up voluntarily out of religious conviction, and in some cases are penalized for it.

Fatma al-Assal, 22, has just earned her veterinary degree and says she has already been refused a teaching job. But she refuses to back down.

"Al-Azhar has no authority over me," she said.

Like her mother and two younger sisters, she covers everything including her hands. Dressed that way, "I feel respect. I don't have anyone looking at me," she said. "Islam says all the woman's body is a temptation."

She said she takes her example from what many Muslims believe was the dress code in the time of Muhammad, who founded their religion nearly 1,400 years ago. "I want to emulate the wives of the prophet."

In European countries, particularly France, the debate over women's dress has turned on questions of how to integrate immigrants and balance a minority's rights with secular opinion that the garb is an affront to women.

But in Egypt, the dynamic is different. Here, public conservatism is at odds with a government that is viewed not only as secular but as autocratic, corrupt and uncaring.

The debate underscores the gulf between the more secular elite that wields economic and political power, and the largely impoverished and disenfranchised masses who increasingly find solace in religion.

The split was evident last month when billboards of a swimsuited Beyonce were plastered all over Cairo to advertise the American singer's concert at Egypt's most exclusive beach resort — a concert the vast majority of Egyptians couldn't afford to attend.

One conservative lawmaker branded it an "insolent sex party." Another called for banning the "nudity concert," and an anti-concert petition on Facebook gathered 10,000 supporters. The concert went ahead without incident in the remote resort under heavy security protection.

A decade ago, the niqab was almost never seen in Egypt and it is still a minority fashion. Most women wear a scarf that covers the hair but not the face, often with tight jeans or clinging tops, despite clerics' complaints that formfitting clothes violate the whole point of "Islamic dress."

But today it is normal to see women in niqab, hidden under a veil that covers everything but the eyes, billowing black robes that cloak the body's shape, and often gloves. They are found at universities, teaching in schools, working in government offices and private companies, strolling along the Nile and riding on motorcycles behind their husbands.

The inspiration is Salafism, a movement that models itself on early Islam. Its doctrine is similar to Saudi Arabia's, and many trace its spread to Egyptians returning home from work in the kingdom and to Saudi-backed religious satellite TV stations.

Salafi groups are nonpolitical and shun the violent teachings that drove Egypt's Islamic insurgency in the 1990s. Still, they provide financial, medical and charity services that are an attractive alternative to the state's poor services. Moreover, Salafi ideology — including wearing the niqab wearing — is increasingly attracting more affluent followers.

That has the government fearing a loss of control.

"This is not a security battle. It is a cultural, political battle," said Diaa Rashwan, an analyst who monitors such groups. "There is no cohesion within the state on how to tackle it."

For some women, particularly the young, covering up is an implicit rebellion against the system. And despite the West's notion of Muslim women being oppressed and cloistered, many of them are outspoken in defending their beliefs.

"I tell a girl who wants to wear the niqab that she has to be ready to fight for it," said al-Assal's mother, Iman el-Shewihi, who veiled herself 15 years ago — the first in her family to do so.

The 45-year-old woman, who is working on her doctorate in Islamic law, says that like her daughter, she has paid a price; She has been denied teaching jobs at her university in Tanta, north of Cairo.

The wearing of veils has spread in other secular-leaning Arab countries such as Jordan, Syria and Lebanon. But today Egypt, which used to be the Arab world's wellspring of secular thinking and lifestyle, is considered much more conservative than the others. It is also the only country actively trying to curb the veil, although Jordan's government tries to discourage it by playing up reports of robbers who wear veils as masks.

In addition to the Education Ministry's order for dorms, some public universities have barred the veil during exams, saying that male students sometimes disguise themselves in the garb to take tests for female friends.

Tantawi, the government-appointed Al-Azhar cleric, stirred a furor with his niqab ban in October. Besides the university, Al-Azhar runs a network of religion-based secondary schools separate from the public system.

He won backing from state media run by pro-government liberal businessmen, which depicted the veil as a sign of spreading extremism. "There has to be a firm stand on this," said Abdullah Kamal, a ruling party member and editor-in-chief of Rose Al-Youssef, a government-funded newspaper.

Job postings on the Internet explicitly rule out non-veiled women, and many social clubs and glitzy restaurants bar them.

Tantawi was accused by a cleric on a TV talk show of "participating in a crusade against Islam," and there were demands for his resignation. He has since tried do damage-control, insisting in interviews that he respects the niqab. But his prohibition stands.

A group of women, backed by human rights group, is suing the government for denying them subsidized housing in the dorms.

One of them is Iman, a veiled medical student who joined other women in street protests and says she was roughed up by security agents. She spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity, fearing further government harassment.

She said five of her colleagues shed their veils so they could live in the dorms, and her father, a farmer, is pressing her to do the same. But she has chosen to keep her veil and rent an apartment, even though it costs three times as much as a dorm.

"I don't need them anymore," she says of the government. "They will not be able to break me."

English Defence League anti-Islamic protest leads to clashes with anti-fascist protesters, and police in Nottingham [Video]

Hundreds of anti-Islamist protesters took to the streets in Nottingham, England Saturday, clashing with a rival group of anti-fascist protesters, and police. Police made a small number of arrests. (Dec. 6)

About 500 protesters from the English Defence League (EDL), many with their faces covered with scarves and hooded tops, marched through Nottingham yesterday decrying Allah and shouting: "We want our country back".



Other protesters waved Union Flags, St George's flags and placards which read: "Protect Women, No To Sharia" and "No Surrender".

Mounted police used batons to keep back some of the demonstrators and police dog handlers were also deployed to contain the crowd.

There were brief scuffles between EDL members and a small group of Asian students who were waving a Pakistani flag.

Earlier in the day thousands of Christmas shoppers gathered to watch 500 soldiers from the 2nd Battalion The Mercian Regiment march through the city.

The homecoming parade followed a six-month tour of duty in the Helmand province of Afghanistan where the regiment lost five soldiers and dozens of its men were injured.

The EDL claims it is not a racist organisation and has no links with the British National Party, but a counter-protest was mounted by Unite Against Fascism.

James Newton, from Nottinghamshire Stop The BNP, said: "The reason we're here is because we believe the EDL is clearly a racist organisation."

One EDL member, a serving soldier who declined to be named, said of the student protest: "I look at their protest and there's a Pakistani flag flying with a Muslim symbol. They're protesting against the troops and it's anti-British. I'm not a fascist, I'm not a Nazi but I am British."

Telegraph

UK ministers asked to use the correct politically correct words when talking about fundamentalist extremist Islam

Guide ... ministers told to avoid using words like 'fundamentalist' and 'Jihadi'

Don’t call extremists 'extremists'

All Change !!

Didn't they just revamp those words not too long ago?

No more Islomophobia - there's one change I find helpful!!

MINISTERS have been BANNED from using words like Islamist and fundamentalist - in case they offend Muslims.

An eight-page Whitehall guide lists words they should not use when talking about terrorism in public and gives politically correct alternatives.

They are told not to refer to Muslim extremism as it links Islam to violence. Instead, they are urged to talk about terrorism or violent extremism.

Fundamentalist and Jihadi are also banned because they make an "explicit link" between Muslims and terror.

Ministers should say criminals, murderers or thugs instead. Radicalisation must be called brainwashing and talking about moderate or radical Muslims is to be avoided as it "splits the community".

Islamophobia is also out as it is received as "a slur that singles out Muslims".

The guide, produced by the secretive Research, Information and Communications Unit in the Home Office, tell ministers to "avoid implying that specific communities are to blame" for terrorism. It says more than 2,000 people are engaged in terror plots.

The guidance was branded "daft" last night by a special adviser to ex-Communities Secretary Hazel Blears. Paul Richards said: "Unless you can describe what you're up against, you're never going to defeat it. Ministers need to be leading the debate on Islamic extremism and they can't do that if they have one hand tied behind their back."

The Home Office said: "This is about using appropriate language to have counter-terrorism impact. It would be foolish to do anything else."

The Sun

SWISS VOTED TO BAN ISLAMIC MINARETS !!!

Muslim nations exercise double standards on Swiss minaret ban - Morocco

Rabat, Morocco - Morocco's Higher Council of Ulemas (Islamic scholars) has condemned the Swiss referendum where voters approved a ban on building new mosque minarets in the country, press reports said Tuesday. The ban was "a form of extremism and exclusion," which contradicted "the civilized image that Muslims have of Switzerland," the council, which is chaired by King Mohammed VI, said in a communique.

The Muslim prayer call from minarets expressed universal human values such as the unity of God, banning egoism and the importance of good deeds, the Higher Council of Ulemas said. Earth Times

Let's compare these Muslim objections to the Swiss ban on minarets - to what the US state department has to say about religious freedoms in Morocco.

MOROCCO US Religious Freedom Report

A few notable points:

• A person may be punished by three to six months' imprisonment and a fine of $14 to $71 (115 to 575 dirhams) - article applies to "anyone who employs incitements to shake the faith of a Muslim or to convert him to another religion."

• The Ministry of Interior continued to monitor proselytizing activities, especially those of Shi'a Muslims and Christians. On April 2, 2009, a government spokesman stated, "the Kingdom, whose foundations are grounded in Islam and the Sunni Maliki rite, can never tolerate serving as a hotbed for spreading Shi'ism and Christian proselytizing. The fight against Christian proselytizing in accordance with law cannot be considered among human rights abuses, for it is an action aimed at preventing attempts to undermine the country's immutable religious values. The freedom of belief does not mean conversion to another religion."

• The Government cites the Penal Code's prohibition on proselytizing in most cases in which courts ruled to expel foreign missionaries. Voluntary conversion is not a crime under the criminal or civil codes.

• Foreigners attend religious services without any restrictions or fear of reprisals. Due to societal pressure, fears over government surveillance, and laws governing public gatherings, many local non-Muslim and non-Jewish groups feel constrained not to worship publicly; some meet discreetly in their homes. Article 2 of the Public Assembly laws states that "any association founded for an illicit cause or reason, in violation of these laws, good morals/customs or which has a goal of the undermining of the Islamic religion, the integrity of the national territory, the monarchy, or calls for discrimination, is invalid."

• In March 2009 authorities expelled five female non-resident foreigners, four Spanish and one German, and interrogated 12 others, 11 of them citizens, for participating in a women's Bible study held in a private apartment of a local Christian leader in Casablanca. The authorities detained the 12 women on March 28, released them early the following morning, and discretely returned them home in unmarked police cars. The authorities reportedly pressured the women to return to Islam, mocked their Christian faith, questioned why they left Islam to become Christians, and asked if there were other Christians in their families. Agents of the police and security reportedly confiscated all the Bibles and other books that were stored in a room of the apartment--which is utilized as a stock room by the owner for his book shop--in addition to a computer and cellular phones. ..the Government.. returned only the cellular phones.

• Some Christian citizens reported that they were not allowed to rent villas in tourist areas for Christian-themed retreats, had their backpacks searched randomly by unidentified agents, had their passports confiscated by officials, and sometimes experienced extensive delays or refusals in attempts to renew passports. Local Christian leaders said that they believe they are constantly followed by authorities but that the rejection they experience comes mostly from family and friends and not the Government.

• ..the MEIA continued to revise national school curriculums to remove passages and lessons that interpret Qur'anic passages in ways that incite hatred or disrespect women, other cultures, and other religions.

• Registered churches and associations include the Catholic, Russian Orthodox, Greek Orthodox, French Protestant, English Protestant, and Anglican Churches.

• Local Christian leaders estimate there are 4,000 Christian citizens (mostly Berber) who regularly attend "house" churches and live predominately in the south. Local Christian leaders estimate there may be as many as 8,000 Christians throughout the country who have made professions of Christian faith but do not regularly meet because they fear government surveillance and social persecution.

• The Ministry of Culture cosponsored the rehabilitation of three of the country's most ancient synagogues in Fez. The Government also funds the study of Jewish culture and its artistic, literary, and scientific heritage at some universities. At the University of Rabat, Hebrew and comparative religion are taught in the Department of Islamic Studies. Throughout the country, approximately 13 professors teach Hebrew. The country is the only Arab nation with a Jewish museum.

• The Government permits the display and sale of Bibles in French, English, and Spanish. There are a limited number of Arabic translations of the Bible available for sale in select bookshops. The Government does not allow free public distribution of non-Muslim religious materials.

• Non-Muslims must formally convert to Islam before they can marry a Muslim or adopt children in the country.

• Members of the Berber community and other citizens, including some members of non-Muslim religious communities, complained of difficulty in registering children's names that were deemed "non-Muslim" by authorities. Most received permission, but only after a lengthy bureaucratic appeal process that sometimes lasted two years. After much discussion in the press, the Minister of Interior stated there was officially no restriction on names, but registration of non-traditional names remained difficult in practice.

• In September 2008 the MEIA suspended six imams in the southern town of Taroudant for teaching what it deemed an unapproved and extreme form of Islam and, among other acts, for allowing the marriage of young girls.

Conclusion it is clear that this Muslim nation wishes to continue to enforce religious laws over respect for human rights - while pointing the finger at others - the Swiss - wishes to obtain acceptance for its own practices that violate religious and individual freedoms.

The one thing this US report doesn't mention - is that during Ramadan every Moroccan Muslim is required by law to take part in the fast. Penalties for refusing to take part in the fast include arrest, interrogation and possible imprisonment.

Abridged

The Constitution provides for the freedom to practice one's religion. Islam is the official state religion, and the King is "Commander of the Faithful" and has the responsibility of protecting Islam in the country. Non-Muslim foreign communities openly practice their faiths.

There was no change in the status of respect for religious freedom by the Government during the reporting period, and it continued to sporadically enforce existing legal restrictions on religious freedom. In March 2009 the Government seized Shi'a literature, interrogated Shi'a Muslims, and closed a private Iraqi school, in a stated effort to stop the spread of politicized Iranian Shi'ism. The Government also detained and interrogated a group of female citizens who had converted from Islam to Christianity and expelled five female Christian missionaries. The Government restricts non-Islamic religious materials and proselytizing. Several small religious minorities are tolerated with varying degrees of official restrictions. The Government monitors the activities of mosques and non-Muslim religious groups and places some restrictions on individuals and organizations when it deems their actions to have exceeded the bounds of acceptable religious or political activity.

There were reports of societal abuses or discrimination toward those with different religious beliefs, including converts from Islam to other religions. Many citizens believe that the country is enriched by its centuries-old Jewish minority, and Jews lived in safety throughout the country during the reporting period.

The U.S. government regularly discusses religious freedom with the Government as part of its overall policy to promote human rights.

Section I. Religious Demography
The country has an area of 172,414 square miles and a population of 34.8 million, of which 98.7 percent is Muslim, 1.1 percent Christian, and 0.2 percent Jewish.

According to Jewish community leaders, there are an estimated 3,000 to 4,000 Jews, approximately 2,500 of whom reside in Casablanca and are the remnants of a much larger community that has mostly emigrated. The estimated size of the Rabat Jewish community is 200, and 250 live in Marrakech. The remainder of the Jewish population is dispersed throughout the country. The population is mostly elderly, with a diminishing number of young persons.

The predominately Roman Catholic and Protestant expatriate Christian community consists of approximately 5,000 practicing members, although some estimates are as high as 25,000. Most expatriate Christians reside in the Casablanca and Rabat urban areas. Local Christian leaders estimate there are 4,000 Christian citizens (mostly Berber) who regularly attend "house" churches and live predominately in the south. Local Christian leaders estimate there may be as many as 8,000 Christians throughout the country who have made professions of Christian faith but do not regularly meet because they fear government surveillance and social persecution.

There are an estimated 3,000 to 8,000 Shi'a Muslims, most of them expatriates from Lebanon or Iraq, but also a few citizen converts. Several thousand citizens who currently reside in Europe have reportedly adopted Shi'a beliefs. The Baha'i community, located in urban areas, numbers 350 to 400 persons.

Followers of several Sufi Muslim orders undertake joint annual pilgrimages to the country. One of the most prominent of these orders is the Zaouia Tijania of which as many as 30 followers each week, mostly from West Africa, make spiritual pilgrimages to Fez to worship at the tomb of Sheikh Ahmed Tijani, who is said to have brought Islam to the subregion. The Tariqa Al-Qadiriya Al-Boutchichia, highly influential in the country, celebrates the Prophet Muhammad's birthday every year, praying with its living master, Sheikh Sidi Hamza Al-Qadiri Al-Boutchichi, in the city of Berkane.

Section II. Status of Government Respect for Religious Freedom

Legal/Policy Framework

The Constitution provides for the freedom to practice one's religion. Islam is the official state religion, and the King is "Commander of the Faithful" (referring to people of the monotheistic faiths: Muslim, Jewish, and Christian) and has the responsibility of protecting Islam in the country. All citizens, including the normally immune Members of Parliament, may be prosecuted on charges of expressing opinions alleged to be injurious to Islam. The law prohibits the distribution of non-Muslim religious materials and bans all proselytizing, but the Government tolerates several small religious minorities with varying degrees of restrictions. The Government monitors activities in mosques and of non-Muslim religious groups and places some restrictions on participants when it deems their actions have exceeded the bounds of acceptable religious or political activity.

According to article 220 of the Penal Code, any attempt to stop one or more persons from the exercise of his/their religious beliefs or from attendance at religious services is unlawful and may be punished by three to six months' imprisonment and a fine of $14 to $71 (115 to 575 dirhams). The article applies the same penalty to "anyone who employs incitements to shake the faith of a Muslim or to convert him to another religion." Any attempt to induce a Muslim to convert is illegal. Foreign missionaries either limit their proselytizing to non-Muslims or attempt to conduct their work discreetly.

The Government cites the Penal Code's prohibition on proselytizing in most cases in which courts ruled to expel foreign missionaries. Voluntary conversion is not a crime under the criminal or civil codes.

A 2002 law restricting media freedom states that expression deemed critical of "Islam, the institution of the monarchy, or territorial integrity" is not permitted and may be punishable by imprisonment. Satellite, internet programming, and print media are otherwise fairly unrestricted.

A small foreign Christian community operates churches, orphanages, hospitals, and schools without government restriction. Missionaries who refrain from proselytizing and conduct themselves in accordance with societal expectations are largely left unhindered; however, those whose religious activities become public face expulsion.

Foreigners attend religious services without any restrictions or fear of reprisals. Due to societal pressure, fears over government surveillance, and laws governing public gatherings, many local non-Muslim and non-Jewish groups feel constrained not to worship publicly; some meet discreetly in their homes. Article 2 of the Public Assembly laws states that "any association founded for an illicit cause or reason, in violation of these laws, good morals/customs or which has a goal of the undermining of the Islamic religion, the integrity of the national territory, the monarchy, or calls for discrimination, is invalid."

The Government permits the display and sale of Bibles in French, English, and Spanish. There are a limited number of Arabic translations of the Bible available for sale in select bookshops. The Government does not allow free public distribution of non-Muslim religious materials.

There are two sets of laws and courts with authority over marriage, inheritance, and family matters--one for Muslims and another for Jews. The family law courts are administered, depending on the law that applies, by Muslim and rabbinical authorities who are court officials. Parliament is responsible for any changes to these laws. The judges who preside over Islamic family law courts are trained in Shari'a (Islamic law) as it is applied in the country.

Rabbinical authorities administer Jewish family courts. Personal status matters as defined by the country's interpretation of Islamic law are applicable to all other citizens. Christians inherit according to civil law. Jews inherit according to Jewish religious law. There are no legal mechanisms that recognize the country's Christian community in the same way the state recognizes its Jewish community. Non-Muslims must formally convert to Islam before they can marry a Muslim or adopt children in the country.

On request, the Government provides special protection to Jewish community members, visitors, and institutions as well as the expatriate Christian community. Annual Jewish commemorations take place around the country, and Jewish pilgrims regularly visit holy sites. Members of the country's Jewish community are represented at high levels in the Government. One serves as an advisor to the King and another as an Ambassador at Large.

The Government continued training of female spiritual guides (mourchidaat), a program begun in 2006, in part to promote moderate Islam. The Government has stated that their training is exactly the same required of male imams. Their status is equal to the imams, although they do not deliver Friday sermons in mosques, do not lead group prayers, and focus much of their work on meeting various needs of other women. [..]

Government informers monitor mosques, university campuses, and religious activities, primarily those conducted by Islamists. Authorities also frequently monitor registered expatriate Christian church services and leadership meetings but do not interfere with their activities. [..]

Political parties founded on religious, ethnic, linguistic, or regional bases are prohibited by law. The Government permits several parties identified as "Islamic oriented" to operate, and some have attracted substantial support, including the Party of Justice and Development (PJD), the third largest party in Parliament.

The Government requires religious groups to register in order to undertake financial transactions and other business as private associations and legal entities. Registered churches and associations include the Catholic, Russian Orthodox, Greek Orthodox, French Protestant, English Protestant, and Anglican Churches. During the reporting period, the Government did not license or approve new religious groups or religious organizations.

The Government provides tax benefits, land and building grants, subsidies, and customs exemptions for imports necessary for the religious activities of the major religious groups, namely Muslims, Jews, and Christians.

The Government's annual education budget funds the teaching of Islam in all public schools and Judaism in some public schools.

The Ministry of Culture cosponsored the rehabilitation of three of the country's most ancient synagogues in Fez. The Government also funds the study of Jewish culture and its artistic, literary, and scientific heritage at some universities. At the University of Rabat, Hebrew and comparative religion are taught in the Department of Islamic Studies. Throughout the country, approximately 13 professors teach Hebrew. The country is the only Arab nation with a Jewish museum.

The MEIA continues to fund a graduate-level theological course, part of which focuses on Christianity and Judaism, and another that trains both men and women to be counselors and teachers in mosques.

The Government does not require the designation of religion on passports or national identity documents, either explicitly or in code. It permits individuals to reflect their religious identity through clothing, but they must conform to cultural norms.

Restrictions on Religious Freedom
The Government generally enforced existing legal restrictions on religious freedom.

During the reporting period, the Ministry of Interior continued to monitor proselytizing activities, especially those of Shi'a Muslims and Christians. On April 2, 2009, a government spokesman stated, "the Kingdom, whose foundations are grounded in Islam and the Sunni Maliki rite, can never tolerate serving as a hotbed for spreading Shi'ism and Christian proselytizing. The fight against Christian proselytizing in accordance with law cannot be considered among human rights abuses, for it is an action aimed at preventing attempts to undermine the country's immutable religious values. The freedom of belief does not mean conversion to another religion."

In March 2009 the Government seized Shi'a tracts and literature from libraries and bookstores throughout the country. There were also reports of hundreds of Shi'a Muslims being questioned by police about their faith and political affiliations. The Ministry of National Education shut down a private Iraqi school, operating in the country for more than 30 years, after allegations that the school was teaching Shi'a principles, a charge that school officials denied.
[..]

The country joined Algeria and Tunisia in banning the October 30, 2008, edition of L'Express International, a French newsmagazine, stating that its cover story, "The Jesus-Mohammed Shock," offended Islam. The British Broadcasting Corporation quoted the country's information minister as saying that the issue breached article 29 of the country's press code but did not specify the precise content the Ministry regarded as offensive. The issue discussed the relationship between Christianity and Islam and featured a front cover image for the Moroccan market showing the Prophet Muhammad with his face covered, rather than exposed as on the French edition. Government officials stated, "Our country should not be used by anyone to spread articles that could be prejudicial to our religion or undermine public order."

In his September 27, 2008, address before the ordinary session of the Higher Council of Ulema, the King called for the formation of a national council of religious leaders who would work to ensure that citizens living in Europe are not swayed by radical or heretical ideas. It is believed that the ideas referred to include extremist Wahhabi teachings and Shi'a Islam.

In September 2008 the MEIA suspended six imams in the southern town of Taroudant for teaching what it deemed an unapproved and extreme form of Islam and, among other acts, for allowing the marriage of young girls. Subsequently, the Ministry closed the religious schools at which they taught. This followed the MEIA’s closure of dozens of madrassas (religious schools) affiliated with an imam who sparked controversy with a fatwa that was interpreted to permit the marriage of girls as young as nine years old on the grounds that the decision encouraged pedophilia, which is criminalized by law. The imam took refuge in Saudi Arabia but later returned.

Members of the Berber community and other citizens, including some members of non-Muslim religious communities, complained of difficulty in registering children's names that were deemed "non-Muslim" by authorities. Most received permission, but only after a lengthy bureaucratic appeal process that sometimes lasted two years. After much discussion in the press, the Minister of Interior stated there was officially no restriction on names, but registration of non-traditional names remained difficult in practice.

[..]
There were no reports of religious prisoners or detainees in the country.

Abuses of Religious Freedom
In March 2009 authorities expelled five female non-resident foreigners, four Spanish and one German, and interrogated 12 others, 11 of them citizens, for participating in a women's Bible study held in a private apartment of a local Christian leader in Casablanca. The authorities detained the 12 women on March 28, released them early the following morning, and discretely returned them home in unmarked police cars. The authorities reportedly pressured the women to return to Islam, mocked their Christian faith, questioned why they left Islam to become Christians, and asked if there were other Christians in their families. Agents of the police and security reportedly confiscated all the Bibles and other books that were stored in a room of the apartment--which is utilized as a stock room by the owner for his book shop--in addition to a computer and cellular phones. As of the end of the reporting period, the Government had returned only the cellular phones. The authorities reportedly accused the foreigners of proselytizing but did not officially charge anyone with committing a crime. On May 14, 2009, the Government reportedly denied entry to two of the Spanish women when they attempted to reenter the country.

Forced Religious Conversion
There were no reports of forced religious conversion, including that of minor U.S. citizens who had been abducted or illegally removed from the United States or who had not been allowed to be returned to the United States.

Improvements and Positive Developments in Respect for Religious Freedom

The Government worked to counter extremist ideology in the name of religion by promoting religious tolerance.

During the reporting period, the MEIA continued to revise national school curriculums to remove passages and lessons that interpret Qur'anic passages in ways that incite hatred or disrespect women, other cultures, and other religions. Additionally, the Ministry's closed-circuit television network broadcasts approved religious messages and sermons to more than 2,000 mosques daily.

During the July 2008 Throne Day ceremony, the King granted national medals of appreciation to two prominent Jews of Moroccan origin. As part of the festivities marking the 1,200th anniversary of the founding of the city of Fez, government officials organized a conference in Casablanca in October 2008 to celebrate the contributions of Jews in the nation's history.

[..]

On May 29-June 6, 2009, the 15th annual "Fez Festival of Sacred Music," which included musicians from Muslim, Christian, Jewish, Hindu, Buddhist, and other spiritual traditions, was held.

On April 18-25, 2009, the country hosted the 3rd annual Fez Festival of Sufi Culture. The festival celebrates the principles of tolerance, peace, and spirituality through music, art, discussions, and lectures. Another April cultural festival featured European Jewish music "from the stetl to New York."

On April16-19, 2009, the 9th annual "Spring Musical of the Alizes" festival, featuring musicians and singers from the three monotheistic religions and different nationalities, was held in Essaouira.

Section III. Status of Societal Respect for Religious Freedom
There were reports of societal abuses or discrimination toward those with different religious beliefs, including converts from Islam to other religions. Free expression in religious matters is tolerated; however, society discourages public efforts to proselytize.

Jewish citizens openly practiced their faith and lived in safety throughout the country during the reporting period. Many citizens of all religions believe that the country is enriched by its centuries-old Jewish minority and were increasingly vocal expressing that view. Muslim citizens study at Christian and Jewish schools. Muslim students constitute the majority at Jewish schools in Casablanca, and a hospital run by the Jewish community provides care to low-income citizens regardless of religion.

The Muslim majority overwhelmingly accepts its Jewish citizens, and Jewish community leaders speak highly of the respect and acceptance they feel in the country. Government officials report that more than 25,000 Jewish tourists visit the country every year, many for pilgrimage to religious sites, and are generally welcomed. The Jewish community in the country was the focus of some isolated negative reactions during the Israel-Gaza conflict (December 27, 2008-January 21, 2009), but the situation normalized once the conflict ended.

During this reporting period, some Christian citizens reported that they were not allowed to rent villas in tourist areas for Christian-themed retreats, had their backpacks searched randomly by unidentified agents, had their passports confiscated by officials, and sometimes experienced extensive delays or refusals in attempts to renew passports. Local Christian leaders said that they believe they are constantly followed by authorities but that the rejection they experience comes mostly from family and friends and not the Government.

Many Muslims view the Baha'i faith as a heretical offshoot of Islam and consequently consider Baha'i apostates. Most members of the Baha'i community avoid disclosing their religious affiliation; however, concerns about their personal safety and property do not prevent their functioning in society, and some hold government jobs.

There is widespread consensus among Muslims regarding religious practices and interpretation. However, some dissenters challenge the religious authority of the King and call for the establishment of a government more deeply rooted in their vision of Islam. The Government views such dissent as political rather than religious in nature, since critiques relate largely to the exercise of power.

Several interfaith associations, such as the Judeo-Rifian Association and the Islamic-Christian Research Group, promoted religious understanding to combat intolerance.

Section IV. U.S. Government Policy
The U.S. government regularly discusses religious freedom with the Government as part of its overall policy to promote human rights. U.S. Embassy officials encountered no interference from the Government in making contacts with members of any religious group.

U.S. government officials met regularly with religious officials, including in the MEIA and other senior ministry officials, Muslim religious scholars, leaders of the Jewish community, Christian missionaries, the leaders of the registered Christian communities, and other local religious groups, including Muslim minorities. The U.S. government sponsored programs focusing on religious tolerance and freedom using the U.S. model.

U.S. government officials also met regularly with members of religious communities to promote tolerance and freedom. Officials actively promoted and facilitated meetings between the MEIA and visiting U.S. religious leaders.