Preparation for Ramadan 1433H in Haramain

Ramadan 1433H Messages and

Preparation for Ramadan in Haramain

Dr. Mozammel Haque

Makkah al-Mukarramah: On Thursday, the 19th of July, 2012, the Supreme Court of Saudi Arabia, which held a meeting at its Summer headquarters in Taif, declared Friday, 20 July, 2012 as the first day of the Holy month of Ramadan according to information it received from regional courts based on several witnesses who sighted the Ramadan crescent. Throughout the world, Muslims are welcoming, both physically and spiritually, the month of Ramadan. May this holy month bring barakah, and Allah's boundless mercy upon the believers and harmony and tolerance for the world.

King Abdullah and Crown Prince

Greet Muslims on Ramadan

The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah and the Crown Prince Salman bin Abdul Aziz, deputy Premier and Minister of Defence congratulated the Muslims in the Kingdom and the rest of the world on Friday on the beginning of the blessed month of Ramadan – the month that all hearts and souls longed for so as to seek Allah’s reward and mercy.

In a joint address read out by the Minister of Culture and Information Abdul Aziz Khoja, the King and the Crown Prince said, “In this blessed month, in its days and nights, the noblest Islamic values are spread. The big sympathizes with the small, the rich supports the poor and the entire society shows mercy and affection bringing out the radiant image of Islam and how it shaped the Ummah and how its civilization was established stressing on justice, tolerance and mutual support.”

The King and the Crown Prince prayed to Allah the Almighty to unify the Ummah according to the teachings of religion and make the advent of this holy month an opportunity to build our nations and societies on the basis of compassion and brotherhood.

British Prime Minister wishes

Ramadan Mubarak to Muslims

The British Prime Minister David Cameron has marked the start of the Holy month of Ramadan, sending his warm wishes to Muslims in the UK and overseas. Mr. Cameron said: “As the holy Islamic month of Ramadan begins, I want to take this opportunity to send my warmest wishes to Muslims in Britain and across the world.

“During this hugely important time of prayer and fasting, we are reminded of the importance of charity and compassion. These are values and traditions at the heart of Islam but shared by those of all faiths in Britain.”

The British Prime Minister also said, “At a time of great change and uncertainly across the world, I am proud of the role Britain plays on the international stage to help those less fortunate through our aid budget and work with our allies and friends.”

“So let me wish everyone peace, happiness and unity during this special time and say Ramadan Mubarak,” said British Prime Minister.

British Deputy Prime Minister

Nick Clegg wishes Ramadan Mubarak

British Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg and British Foreign Secretary William Hague wished British Muslims “Ramadan Mubarak”.

The Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg said, “As the British Government does all it can to work with the international community to help the people of Syria, citizens of all faiths and none are united in the spirit of hope and solidarity as they watch the awful events unfold.”

“This spirit will be particularly apparent during Ramadan.” Mr. Clegg said he was inspired by the generosity, self-discipline and attention to family shown by Britain’s Muslims, saying their role in society “cannot be exaggerated”.

British Foreign Secretary sent

Warm wishes to Muslims

British Foreign Secretary Mr. William Hague said, “As the Islamic holy month of Ramadan begins I send my warm wishes to Muslims in Britain and across the world: Ramadan Mubarak. British Muslims will join millions of other people around the world in this special period of reflection, contemplation and consideration of others.”

Mr. Hague said, “Ramadan is also an important time for friends and family to gather and remember those less fortunate.

In his Ramadan Message, Mr. Hague said, “The values of charity and compassion that are central to Ramadan are shared by Muslims and non-Muslims alike” said British Foreign Secretary and added, “They have particular poignancy and significance in the light of the suffering of people of all religions in Syria today.”

Mr. Hague said, “I hope the year ahead will be one in which we will see peace, security and stability restored in Syria.”

Dr. Neseef’s Ramadan Message

I had the opportunity to meet Dr. Abdullah Omar Naseef, former Secretary General of the Makkah-based Muslim World League and the present Secretary General of the Cairo-based International Commission for the Council of Dawah and Relief (IICDR) at his office in Jeddah and I requested him what is his message for the Muslim community in this blessed month of Ramadan.

Dr. Naseef said, “Everybody knows that the Ramadan is the occasion when people get closer to Allah the Almighty and seek His Guidance and His Blessing and they spend the month in all kinds of worships and good deeds hasanats. They asked Allah the Almighty to make this Ramadan better for everybody and help the people who are harassed and aggressed upon in this month so that they can come out from this misery situation. Insha Allah, there will be better situation for everybody.”

Speaking about his advice to the Muslim community, Dr. Naseef said, “We have to request Muslims to be more sincere, to be more adherence to their religion and to be more realizing that this month of Ramadan is a school of training, guidance and changing.” Dr. Naseef also added, “We are advising them, the Muslims, to be more sincere to Allah the Almighty and appealing to Him day and night and adhering to His Orders and His Commandments. This is the opportunity to seek forgiveness from Allah the Almighty for their sins. So this is the opportunity one should not miss. This opportunity should be availed of by every Individual everywhere in the Muslim world.”

“I hope, this Ramadan will improve the quality of the Muslims Insha Allah,” Dr. Naseef said.

Preparations for Ramadan in Haramain

The Saudi authorities have completed all preparations to welcome the fasting month of welcome. All arrangements are in full swing to cope with the huge influx of pilgrims from all over the world during the upcoming peak Umrah season in Ramadan. About 3.8 million foreign pilgrims had entered the country as of July 1, 2012. According to Hajj Ministry, this is an increase of 400,000 compared to the same period last year.

More than 10,000 civil defence personnel in place

The Saudi government is not sparing any effort to guarantee the safety, security and comfort of the Umrah pilgrims. An emergency plan is in place. More than 10,000 Civil Defence personnel will participate in the implementation of the emergency plan which include foot and vehicle patrols, fire-fighters, rescue teams, first aid operators, inspectors and medical evacuation and rapid intervention teams. This plan is to be implemented in collaboration with 18 ministries, Al-Madinah daily reported.

The Ministry of interior has approved the security plan for the holy month of Ramadan which will see 28,000 security officers mobilized throughout the month. The officers will be in charge of vehicle traffic and will manage crowds of Umrah performers and visitors inside the Grand Mosque. They will ensure that guests of Allah feel comfortable during performing their rituals.

Madinah Haram Area will be tripled

While lauding King Abdullah’s care in serving the Two Holy Mosques and improving the facilities for the growing number of Hajj and Umrah pilgrims, Sheikh Abdul Rahman al-Sudais described the expansion work of the Prophet’s Mosque as unprecedented. Once the three-phase expansion is completed the Mosque will have a total area of 1.1 million square meters with the capacity to accommodate an additional 1.6 million worshippers. These developments will be realized in a way facilitating the flow of pilgrims and visitors to the Mosque easily and comfortably by ensuring accommodation for them in the area.

In the last 10 days of Ramadan

In the last 10 days of Ramadan, the central area around the Grand Mosque will be converted to a praying area to accommodate the huge number of worshippers.

200,000 people can pray on the ground floor

The General Presidency of the Two Holy Mosques Affairs has approved this year’s Ramadan plan that will facilitate the arrival of Umrah pilgrims, the Presidency’s head Abdulrahman Al- Sudais said. The plan has taken into account the increase in space thanks to the ongoing expansion Grand Mosque Expansion project of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah, allowing over 200,000 people to pray on the ground floor.

Mosque’s open areas are being cooled

The Mosque’s open areas are being cooled by water and basements air-conditioned in addition to ensuring prayer-mats are vacuumed. There are now 150 air-conditioners at the basement of the Haram.

176 Gates of the Grand Mosque in place

176 gates lead to the Grand Mosque, its roof, and the basement, and are kept open and guarded throughout Ramadan by 798 male and female employees.

18 entrances for people with special needs

Apart from this, 18 entrances for people with special needs have been readied. They include the King Abdul Aziz Gate (Bab Al-Malik Abdul Aziz), New Ajyad, Hunain, Al-Safa, Al-Marwah, Al-Qararah, Mazlaqan, Al-Fateh, Al-Madinah, and Al-Umrah gates as well as gates no. 64, 74, 84 and 94. They also include the gates to Al-Arqam, Al-Marwah, Murad, Al-Qararah, and Al-Mazlaqan escalators.

These initiatives were made under the supervision of Sheikh Abdulrahman Al-Sudais, General President for the Affairs of the Two Holy Mosques, and are being followed up by Muhammad Al-Khuzaim, Deputy General President for the Affairs of the Grand Mosque in Makkah.

Wheelchairs are provided to the visitors

Wheelchairs are provided for free and electric ones are available to rent, said Imam Al-Sudais.

New toilets in Ajiad Hospital Area ready

The new toilets at the Ajiad Hospital area is ready for use in Ramadan, in addition to 12,500 new toilets that will be added later, said Imam Abdulrahman al-Sudais.

Arrangements made to keep city clean and

safe and comfort for pilgrims

Makkah’s Municipality made an intensive plan to keep the city clean as well as to ensure the safety and comfort of the pilgrims and visitors. The plan focuses on intensifying cleaning work, monitoring the environment and inspecting markets, grocery stores, restaurants and Ramadan stalls.

The acting Mayor of Makkah Khaled Al-Hayj, said to the press, more than 8,500 cleaning workers supplied with 676 pieces of equipment will be keeping the city clean and tidy. There will be a number of teams equipped with over 550 pesticide sprays to combat insects and flies, in addition to 181 trash compressors.

Zamzam taps and containers set up

Imam Al-Sudais said that 18,000 Zamzam water taps and containers have been set up all around the Two Holy Mosques



Ramadan Mubarak from Masjid al-Haram and Balad al-Ameen in 1433H

Ramadan Mubarak from Masjid

al-Haram and Balad al-Ameen

Dr. Mozammel Haque

Makkah al-Mukarramah: The start of the Holy month of Ramadan will be determined on the sighting of the moon later this week. The Supreme Judicial Council of Saudi Arabia called on all Muslims in the Kingdom to sight the crescent of the lunar month of Ramadan on July 19 (Thursday) evening. Ramadan is likely to start Friday after astronomers said the new moon could be sighted Thursday evening. Saudi Astronomer Abdul Aziz Al-Shammari said, “The moon will set this coming Thursday six minutes after the setting of the sun, increasing the likelihood of the new moon being sighted on Thursday.”

Muslims all over the world still stick to the tradition of looking to the sky to start their fasting and ending. The fasting month of Ramadan starts with the sighting of the Ramadan crescent in the horizon with the naked eye. Under the Shari’ah, if the new crescent was seen by any trustworthy person supported by two witnesses his testimony would be documented and the whole nation would accept that testimony. Whatever be the case, the holy month of Ramadan is going to start either Friday or Saturday depending on the sighting of the crescent. This column will come to the reader on Friday, the 20th of July, 2012. So this is the best time to say my readers RAMADAN MUBARAK.

Ramadan Mubarak and Ramadan Greetings from the Masjid al-Haram and the Balad al-Ameen to all of you, especially to all the readers of Plain Truth, MUSLIM VOICE and THE STRAIGHT PATH in the Bangla Mirror Weekly, The Muslim Weekly and EuroBangla Weekly. May this holy month bring barakah, and Allah's boundless mercy upon the believers and harmony and tolerance for the world

 

I welcome Ramadan, the month of Mercy and Repentance, the month of the Qur’an, of laylatul qadr (the night of power) and of repentance and forgiveness. Fasting in the month of Ramadan is one of the Pillars of the Islamic faith. It was declared an obligatory duty (Fard) in the second year of the Hijrah upon each and every mukallaf (one capable of carrying out religious duties, i.e. a sane adult).

Allah the Almighty made Ramadan fasting compulsory for Muslims. Allah said, “O those who believe, the fasts have been enjoined upon you as were enjoined upon those before so that you be God-fearing.’ [Surah Baqarah, 183]. Literally, Sawm means ‘to abstain’. In the terminology of Islamic law, Sawm means ‘to abstain from eating, drinking and sexual intercourse: with the conditions that one abstains continuously from dawn to sunset, and that there is an intention to fast.’ Therefore, should one eat or drink anything even a minute before sunset, the fast will not be valid. Similarly, if one abstained from all these things throughout the day but made no intention to fast, there will be no fast here too.

Allah the Almighty said in the Qur’an “…And eat and drink, until the white thread of dawn appears to you distinct from its black thread…” (Al-Qur’an, 2:187) Literally defined, fasting means to abstain “completely” from foods, drinks, intimate intercourse and smoking, before the break of the dawn till sunset, during the entire month of Ramadan, the ninth month of the Islamic year.

 

Fasting in Islam is based on the lunar calendar and is tied to the sightings of hilal, the crescent, or new moon. Allah the Almighty stated: “They ask you concerning the new moons. Say: They are but signs to mark fixed periods of time… (Al-Qur’an, 2:189). And the Traditions of the Prophet (peace be upon him) said: “Eat until you see the crescent and break not until you see the crescent. If it is cloudy calculate the period of the month.” (Muslim and others).

 

Fasting in Ramadan is compulsory upon every Muslim, male or female, who has these qualifications, e.g. mentally and physically fit, adult full of age which is normally fourteen and fairly certain that fasting is unlikely to cause any harm, physical or mental, other than the normal reactions to hunger, thirst etc.

The said qualifications exclude the following categories: children under the age of puberty and discretion; men and women who are too old and feeble to undertake the obligation of fast and bear its hardships; sick people whose health is likely to be severely affected by the observance of fast; travellers may break the fast temporarily during their travel; pregnant women and women breast-feeding their children may also break their fast and women in the period of menstruation (of a maximum of ten days or of confinement (of a maximum of forty days. They must postpone the fast till recovery and then make up for it.

The holy month of Ramadan is the month of mercy, forgiveness, and seeking release from the Hell-fire. It is the month of repentance and acceptance of prayers. It is the month when the devils are chained, the gates of Hell are looked and the gates of Paradise are opened. That’s why; Muslims welcome Ramadan each year with energy and happiness, and are saddened only when the month departs. Fasting is for the living, not for mourning.

 

Ramadan is a month of worship. Muslims should welcome the month with repentance and seeking Allah’s pardon. We should keep away from committing sins; worship Allah sincerely and spending the night and day in prayer, supplication and recitation of the Holy Qur’an.

 

Fasting is a shield which helps prevent many sins and with which Muslim protects himself from Hell-fire. Fasting is more than abstaining from food and drink. It also means to abstain from any falsehood in speech and action, from any ignorant and indecent speech, and from arguing and quarrelling. Therefore, fasting helps to develop good behaviour.

Fasting inculcates a sense of brotherhood and solidarity, as a Muslim feels and experiences what his needy and hungry brothers feel. This gives Muslim a new sense of togetherness and association.

Allah the Almighty said in the Qur’an: The month of Ramadan in which was revealed the Qur’an, a guidance for mankind, and clear proofs of the guidance, and the criterion (between right and wrong). (Surah Al-Baqarah 2: 185) As Ramadan is the month of the Qur’an, every Muslim should prepare himself to welcome the blessed month of Ramadan by strengthening his relationship with the Qur’an. A Muslim is encouraged to complete one recitation of the Holy Qur’an during Ramadan.

We should engage more and more in the recitation of the Qur’an, in dhikr (remembrance of Allah), perform extra Salah (ritual prayers) at night and renew identity with one another in our obedience to Allah.

Ramadan is called the month of charity and sympathy; a month of giving in charity and sharing meals to break the fast together. Many Muslims also pay Zakah in the month of Ramadan.

Ramadan is an excellent opportunity to bring about permanent improvement into our lives. We can do this by making a goal to remove a harmful trait from our character or speech, whether it be argumentation, backbiting, making false promises, or resentment against a fellow Muslim, or a sinful matter from our lives. Insha’Allah by the baraka of this month, this effort will result in change that will benefit us in this world and the next.

I would again like to take this opportunity to wish all of you a blessed Ramadan, the Ramadan Kareem. May this blessed month bring unadulterated peace to everyone in the world. May Allah the Almighty in His Infinite Mercy and Magnanimity help us, guide us and reward us richly during this Holy Month of Ramadan and forever keep us on the Straight Path of Islam. May Allah the Almighty guide us in increasing our good deeds in this Holy Month. May Allah make this Ramadan a month of increasing nearness to Him, and May He accept all of our fasts and worship. Ameen.

Thus Ramadan becomes a blessed month of physical, moral and spiritual renewal through fasting, charity and worship. This is the moral and spiritual gifts of Ramadan. “We can say that Ramadan gives us the great gift of Taqwa (Piety). Taqwa is the sum total of Islamic life. It is the highest of all virtues in the Islamic scheme of things. It means God-consciousness, piety, fear and awe of Allah and it signifies submission to Allah and total commitment to all that is good and rejection of all that is evil and bad,” said Dr. Muzzammil H. Siddiqi, former President of Islamic Society of North America (ISNA).

UK Halal Commission Formed

Importance of Halal Food-

UK Halal Commission Formed

Dr. Mozammel Haque

Halal foods are foods that are allowed under dietary guidelines. According to these guidelines based on the Qur’an, Muslims cannot consume the following: pork or pork by products; animals that were dead prior to slaughtering; animals not slaughtered properly or not slaughtered in the name of Allah; blood and blood by products; carnivorous animals and birds of prey.

The method of slaughtering, in Islam, is based on certain clear guidelines found in the Holy Qur’an, the Sunnah and traditions practised by the Sahabah (companions of the Prophet, peace be upon him). In the Qur’an and the Traditions of the Prophet (peace be upon him) it is clearly laid down as follows:

1. “Hence, eat not of that (animal) over which God’s name has not been pronounced, for this would be sinful conduct indeed. (Al-Qur’an: Surah 6, Al-An’am, verse 121)

2. “He has forbidden you Carrion, and blood and the flesh of swaine, and that over which any name other than God’s has been invoked. (Al-Qur’an Surah 2, Al-Baqarah, verse 173)

3. “Forbidden to you is Carrion, and blood, and the flesh of swaine, and that over which any name other than God’s has been invoked, and the animal that has been strangled, or beaten to death, or killed by a fall, or gored to death or savaged by a beast of prey, save that which you yourselves may have slaughtered while it was still alive. (Al-Qur’an Surah 5, Al-Maidah, verse 3)

4. The Prophet (peace be upon him) prohibited from Satanic slaughtering, where jugular veins are left intact and just the skin alongside with some flesh tissues is cut (Abu Daud)

5. The Prophet (peace be upon him) prohibited cutting the spinal marrow of the goat while slaughtering (Tibrani)

6. Abdullah Ibn-e-Abbas, Anas and Abdullah Ibn-e- Umar (Allah be pleased with them all) said that if an animal is slaughtered from the back of the neck, its meat is not Halal. (Bukhari)

From the above verses of the Qur’an and the Sunnah of the Prophet peace be upon him, it becomes clear that slaughtering must be performed manually by a mature Muslim who fully understands the fundamentals and conditions relating to slaughtering according to Islamic Law; at the time of slaughtering the name of Allah must be invoked by saying – Bismillah – Allahu Akbar; the animal should be slaughtered using a sharp knife, penetrating the throat of the animal; windpipe, food-tract and two jugular veins should be cut, preferably in one stroke; the blood of the slaughtered animal must be drained as completely as possible and slaughtering from the back of the neck is not allowed in Islam.

The above are the guidelines and requirements for a meat to be declared as Halal. These are followed by Muslims living in both the Muslim majority and the Muslim minority countries.

Muslim majority countries

The Jeddah-based Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) has established its Halal meat certification centre in Tehran, Iran for the Muslim countries. The Executive Director of the Centre and the pioneer in this field, Mr. Jafar, passed away recently in 2011.

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia imports food from more than 150 countries. Recently, an international conference on Halal food was held in Riyadh, the capital of Saudi Arabia. The Saudi Food and Drugs Authority organised the three-day conference focusing on monitoring Halal food. In his address, the Executive President of SFDA Muhammad Al-Kandal stressed the need to monitor imported food. The participants, including 120 experts from abroad, discussed 60 studies on various aspects of monitoring Halal food in different sittings of the conference. More than 20 foreign companies participated in the exhibition apart from Saudi participants.

Dr. Ahmad Makhdoum, the Director of the Muslim World League London Office told me, “The Muslim World League in Makkah has a committee and they are now reforming this committee. They want to assure that all the meat coming from outside of Saudi Arabia is being Halal, slaughtered according to Shari’ah.”

“What the Muslim World League in Makkah is doing is organising the matter, watching, monitoring and giving the certificate by the Rabita Al-Alam Al-Islami (MWL), The Rabita Al-Alam Al-Islami is the only organisation which is authorised to give this kind of certificate to all the meat coming from outside of Saudi Arabia,” mentioned Dr. Makhdoum.

Muslim Minority countries

As regards Halal food vis-à-vis Muslims living in the Muslim minority countries, there is a lot of debate about Halal food in France. The phoney war over Halal meat erupted in France last February when Marine Le Pen, the leader of the far-right Front National, claimed consumers were eating Halal unknowingly. Then former French President Nicolas Sarkozy’s decision to make the labelling of Halal meat pivotal to his re-election campaign has infuriated, alienated and dismayed France’s as many as six million Muslim community.

The former French President Sarkozy ignored the spending power – the Halal market, for example, is growing at 20% a year more than organic food. France has failed to learn the lesson of its history, says Mohamed Abdenebi, 36, a history and geography teacher to the Guardian: “In 1939 when there was an economic crisis, the enemy was the Jews. Today there is a crisis and it is the Muslims. It’s the same discrimination, just a different community.” It is reported by Kim Willsher in Paris to The Guardian, 10 March 2012.

In Russia we find a different story on Halal meat. According to Dr. Madina of the Russian Mufti Council, “In 2003 we established the separate Halal standardization certificate of the Russian Mufti Council which pledged a huge row in Moscow Halal establishment. This standard certificate is already recognised by the OIC standard certification. We created a lot of voluntary certification because in many countries as we saw Halal certification is going on without system. It is important to have system certification. In this regard we cooperated with all kinds of scientific and research institutes of meat products. This is with the All-Russian scientific standardization and certification and our standard is registered with the state standardization certification and it is recognised as voltar organisation.”

Dr. Madina also mentioned about the Halal Exhibition 2012. Moscow Halal Expo 2012 was held in All-Russian Exhibition Centre. More than 7 thousands of visitors from different corners of Russia and around the world gathered there. It is reported that Moscow Halal Expo corroborates the status of the largest Russian activity in the sphere of ethical business based on Halal standards and increases its scale and variety from year to year, attracting more and more Russian and foreign partners, exhibitors, participants and visitors.

The big international business-forum «World Experience and Prospects of Halal and Islamic Finance Markets» was also held within the Exhibition. Experts in Halal from Saudi Arabia, Republic of South Africa, Turkey, Malaysia, Great Britain, Australia etc. and specialists in Islamic finance from United Arab Emirates, Great Britain, Indonesia, Italy, Russia and other countries was expected to take part there.

In the United Kingdom, The Muslim World League London Office is playing an important role about Halal food. Talking about its role relating to Halal Food, Dr. Makhdoum said, “The European or Asian countries are killing animals; it is very inhumane in dealing with the animals; hence researches established that slaughtering cutting the throat, I mean all the veins, arteries and in the neck area is the best way in dealing with the meat of the animals.”

“When you cut the throat you cut all the nerves and you make all the blood going out from the animal. By this way we are achieving three very important aspects; obeying Allah the Almighty, and the Prophet peace be upon him who said, make your knife sharpen; and No 2 is dealing with animals in a very humane way, mercy to the animal and thirdly, healthy way,” said Dr. Makhdoum.

Speaking about what is the role of the Muslim World League London Office with regard to Halal Food, Dr. Makhdoum said, “Our role here is concentrating giving the awareness to the people either by giving some brochures, organising meeting and communicating with the people and Insha Allah our goal for the next few years is to spread the awareness of the benefits of Zibah.”

Recently, on 2nd of June 2012 there was a conference on Halal Food in Birmingham which was attended by Muslim and Jewish communities. The conference talked about the Halal meat, what is the best way of slaughtering lawful animals and most of the people who gathered there agreed to the fact that the best way of dealing with the animals is by Zibah . Besides the Muslim religious leaders and organisations, there were some Jewish people and organisation. The conference agreed that it is not Halal with the electricity and passed a Birmingham Declaration which is as follows:

BIRMINGHAM DECLARATION

Special meeting of the Imams, Scholars, community leaders and stakeholders held in Birmingham, United Kingdom on Saturday, the 2nd of June 2012 where they agreed and endorsed the following declaration:

“Muslims are immersely grateful to the successive governments for the exemption accorded to slaughter by religious method in Schedule 21 and 22 of the Part IV of the 1995 legislation* that “Schedule 5 (which relates to the stunning and killing of animals) shall not apply to any animal which is slaughtered in accordance with Schedule 12 (which relates to slaughter by a religious method).”

However, the Muslim community along with our Jewish compatriots are concerned that there are relentless attempts by some vocal pressure groups to force the government to do away with this highly valued exemption on the unfounded pretence that religious slaughter (without stunning) causes more pain. Muslims reject such views and maintain that no other method of slaughter of animal could be more humane than religious method of slaughter when standards are scrupulously implemented.

British Muslim community will refuse to accept any attempt to change the current legislation and as a community it is determined to ensure strict adherence to Halal standards. To achieve this today’s meeting agrees to establish a UK HALAL COMMISSION with representation from all segments of British Muslim Community.”



Irish Minister Welcomes Islamic Finance to Ireland

Irish Minister welcomes Islamic

Finance to Ireland

Dr. Mozammel Haque

Dublin, Ireland: Islamic finance is welcome to Ireland, said the Irish Minister for Social Protection, Ms. Joan Burton, TD at the International Conference on Co-existence, Islamic Finance & Investment, organised by the Irish Business Executives Forum (IBEF), Dr. Sheikh Shaheed Satardien, President of the Muslim Council of Ireland (MCI) and International Islamic Forum for Dialogue (IIFD, held on 5-6 June, 2012, at Dunboyne Castle Hotel, Dublin, Ireland.

Irish Minister Ms. Joan Burton

Minister for Social Protection of the Republic of Ireland, Ms. Joan Burton, TD, said, “The government has laid the foundation in terms of succession law and regulations to provide for the legitimacy for the Islamic finance to be recognised in the context of the work being done in Ireland per se.”

She also mentioned, “We do have a lot of work to do to develop and to evolve in this country, particularly the countries on the periphery which have difficulties to overcome the difficulties.

“We have had a number of significance programme in relation to regulations of finance and regulation of Central Bank in relation to legislate to financial organisations and the organisations for banks and others who provide financial services,” the Minister Ms Burton mentioned.

Minister Ms Burton is hopeful that the additional regulations should be in future considerable additional assurance to tackle disasters and she also mentioned about “regulations which make provisions for Islamic Financial arrangements.”

Mr. Tom Woods

In 2011, Mr. Taoiseach, the Irish Prime Minister spoke of Government’s view of Islamic Finance as an area where there is significant potential for growth in Ireland, mentioned Mr. Tom Woods, Financial Services, Tax, KPMG Partner, Dublin, Ireland, in his presentation and added, “While the Funds industry in particular has been successful in developing and promoting Ireland as an attractive location for Islamic Funds there remains an opportunity for further growth and diversification particularly within the banking and securitisation markets. Islamic Finance is one of the major growth areas in international finance and the Government has indicated its commitment to playing its role to support the development of this sector in Ireland.”

Speaking about the Islamic Finance developments in Ireland, Mr. Woods mentioned, in 2008, Financial Regulator established a team specialising in Sharia compliant funds in order to expedite approval process. In 2009, Woods mentioned, Irish Tax Authorities issued briefing confirming that Sharia compliant funds, Ijarah transactions and Takaful arrangements were to be taxed on the same basis as that applicable to the comparable conventional financial products.

In 2010, Woods mentioned Irish Tax Legislation was amended to tax Islamic Banking Products and Sukuk issuances on the same basis as their conventional equivalents. This includes Murabaha, Diminishing Musharaka and Wakala arrangements.. Broadly, the return under such arrangements is treated for tax purposes in the same way as interest is. A person elects into the tax regime.

Mr.Woods also said, dedicated team was established to expedite a sharia compliant fund applications; sharia compliant funds and leasing operations established in Ireland. He also mentioned, increasing interest in using Ireland as onshore location for Sukuk issuances; increasing interest in investing in aviation assets and renewable energy projects.

Referring to opportunities, Mr. Woods said, % tax rate for qualifying funds; withholding tax exemptions on lease rentals, interests and dividends; 12.5% corporation tax rate – secure (lowest amongst OECD member countries).

Dr. Sheikh Shaheed Satardien

Earlier, in his inaugural speech, Dr. Satardien, President of the Muslim Council of Ireland and the Executive Chairman of the Irish Business Executives Forum (IBEF) said, “The founder of Islam had huge experience of commerce prior to his revelations from God. The Holy Qur’an states that interest must not charged in lending money. That is the most fundamental aspect of Islamic Finance. From an Islamic point of view an increase in capital without any services provided or risk incurred is forbidden.”

Speaking about how big is Islamic Finance, Dr. Satardien mentioned, “According to Standard & Poor’s Rating Service Islamic finance assets reached at least $400 billion during 2009 with a potential market of $4 trillion. According to Forbes in 2008, there are at least $500 billion in assets being managed according to Islamic principles and that the market is growing at more than 10% per year. Although it may be much smaller than the non-Islamic financial industry, these figures are very significant. Many of the biggest Islamic banks are in Iran, with Bank Melli having assets of over $45 billion. Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Malaysia and the United Arab Emirates are also big movers in the Islamic finance world.”

In his speech, Dr. Satardien raised a number of questions. “Is it possible to pursue economic growth and still protect our natural and physical environments? How should governments try to raise the finance needed to pay for health and education services and income support programmes? What is the proper role for government in the economy? Would we be better off with much lower taxes but also poorer social services than we presently enjoy?”

Dr. Satardien mentioned, “The current practices in this market, in banking, in investing etc, are not sustainable. They are not sustainable for many reasons, including moral ones, but the sheer boiling anger of the global taxpayer when the full impact of the theft of the State coffers becomes apparent, will be the final sustainable nail in its coffin.”

Naturally, the question is what sort of money market practices can replace the current model? Dr. Satardien said, “Islamic investments, to be fully compliant with our religion, must not be interest based, but must rely on profits for services rendered, for risk-sharing, for profit sharing itself. Islamic Finance should be Islamic in its true sense and not only compliant with certain aspects of Islam. If we do window-dressing with it and not make it Islamic in its essence it will inevitably, like conventional finance, also fail.”

Frank Kaufmann

Frank Kaufmann made a comparison between Islamic banking and Western system of Banking. He said, “The dominant factor that differentiates sharia law from our own Western laws (aside from obvious religiosity) is that of usury. While Christians and Jews did away with this belief long ago, the Qur’an “forbids the charging of interest in exchange for a loan, or ‘riba’” (2). The reason for this, according to the Qur’an, is “because it harms the humane aims of Islam towards mercy, solidarity and cooperation” (3). This is a founding principle that has shaped Islamic banking.

Mr. Kaufmann continued, “Islamic banking itself has the essential belief that money should be used productively and investment activities should be dealt with in partnerships so that risks and rewards are shared by creditor and debtor alike. Also, according to sharia, excess capital (i.e. profits) ought to be put back into the community in the form of zakat (alms). But for all intents and purposes it includes stocks, real estate investments, insurances, and currency swaps that are sharia-compliant (called sukuks). There are limits, though; “sharia law prohibits investing in certain industries or products, including alcohol, tobacco, pork, and pornography” (4). Another popular instrument is the murabaha, "essentially cost-plus financing which involves the sale and repurchase of a commodity to fund a loan” (5).”

Professor Dr. Hamid Ahmad Al-Refaie

Professor Dr. Hamid Ahmad Al-Refaie, President of International Islamic Forum for Dialogue (IIFD) presented a paper on Safe Economy. He spoke about i) The Zakat system; the philosophy of the Zakat system. He said, Zakat is not just alms or benefaction from rich people, it is not just official taxes. Zakat is the divine right which should be pay yearly to the needy from the net income of rich people. Zakat is Islamic philosophy for encouraging of circulating and alternation of money among people in the societies.

Dr. Refaie said, strong economy based on a strong production; and strong consumption. So any defect in this equation certainly will destroy the economy in any country. The crisis which is facing the world societies today is because of the big defect between number consumers and producers. There are only a few producers in front of a big number of powerless consumers; because they do not have purchasing power. Certainly such case is destroyer economic situation.

“Big numbers of incapable consumers surely lead to stagnancy in producing; the thing which will lead to more of joblessness and to more complication in the world economic crisis,” said Dr. Refaie and added, “What is the solution..? Islam legislated the Zakat System to resolve such crisis. Zakat is human economic system aims to give chance to the jobless and needy to start their life as producers and active persons in their societies. But how..?”

He maintained, “By offering money to the jobless and needy to enable them to become producers in the societies and to become positive consumers. Such this doing makes money go into process of circulation among the needy and wealthy in the societies. Such a process of the money's circulation in society certainly will end the case of economic stagnancy and refresh the economic development.”

Dr. Joseph Coughlan

Dr. Joseph Coughlan, Head of School of Accounting & Finance, College of Business Dublin Institute of Technology, gave an Irish perspective of Islamic Finance. He mentioned about Importance of the Islamic Finance market internationally and nationally and Widespread take-up of the instruments because of their specific characteristics

At the same time, he mentioned a lack of knowledge in Ireland and internationally on the key principles. He mentioned what he is doing through the Dublin Institute of Technology. He mentioned the programme of the DIT: teaching Islamic Culture and Organisation; Islamic Economics; Fundamentals of Islamic Finance; Islamic Financial Economics; Risk Management in Islamic Finance; European & Irish Perspectives and Accounting for Islamic Finance Instruments.

He also mentioned about the Award granted by the DIT, such as i) Continuing Professional Development (CPD) Postgraduate Diploma in Financial Services (Islamic Finance); At Level 9 (Masters level) on the National Qualifications Framework and Opportunity to convert to full postgraduate diploma/MSc in time.

Dr. Mozammel Haque

Dr. Mozammel Haque talked about some basic things such as the concept of Islamic Finance, its fundamental principles and its growth world wide and the UK experience. While tracing the growth of Islamic finance in Europe, Dr. Haque mentioned the historical developments of Islamic Finance in the United Kingdom and pointed out some of the milestones of the development of Islamic Finance in the UK:

Dr. Haque also mentioned the role education & training institutions are playing in imparting Islamic Finance and awarding University degrees in Islamic Finance. In this connection, he mentioned, Markfield Institute of Higher Education, Islamic Foundation, Leicester; Cas Business School, City University, London; Bangor Business School, Bangor University, Wales; Henley Business School, Reading University, England and SGIA and DBS, Durham University, England.

Dr. Haque also mentioned the Organizations offering qualifications & training in Islamic Finance; such as Associations of International Accountants (AIA); Chartered Institute of Management and Accountants (CIMA); Securities and Investment Institute (SII) (Islamic Finance Qualification); Institute of Islamic Banking and Insurance (IIBI).

Dr. Haque also mentioned about the Muslim Organizations which are engaged in Islamic Finance, such as The Islamic Foundations, Leicester; Muslim Council of Britain (MCB) and The Islamic Finance Council.

There are two Chairs in Islamic Finance in the United Kingdom, Sharjah Chair in Islamic Law and Finance, Durham University and there would be Chair in Aston University , Birmingham.

Jamal Harwood

Mr. Jamal Harwood in his presentation advocated for the gold standard: which is the future for a stable global currency and he mentioned the Islamic solutions to the present economic crisis. He said, businesses invest based on equity finance that encourages risk sharing and rewards profits; taxation is designated and defined so the government cannot increase and create new taxes. There are no income tax so work is incentivised and disposal income is higher boosting spending. There are no expenditure taxes which lowers prices and increases affordability.” This is the Islamic Economic Solutions-2.

According to Mr. Harwood, the Islamic Economic Solutions -3 are: Taxes are on wealth so the poor don’t pay. There is active redistribution of income via paying Zakat (wealth tax) so the poor and needy are lifted out of poverty. There is active and fast circulation of money through the prohibition of hoarding gold and silver, no interest and a wealth tax of 2.5% which encourages equity finance. The state is prohibited from fixing prices of goods and services or wages allowing prices and wages to fall as well as rise and thereby stimulating the economy even when overall demand is low. There are restrictions on derivatives trading and other harmful business activities.”

AbdulKader Alaoui

Abdul Kader talked about European stock markets vis-à-vis Islamic stock markets. In the light of the recent financial crisis, he said, relatively, the Islamic stock markets were less impacted by the crisis; and that presents an opportunity for those markets to attract international investments that are concerned with international portfolio diversification.

“However, this also presents a challenge for the Islamic stock markets to improve their investment climate through effective financial regulation and prudential actions according to Islamic perspectives in order to attract more Muslims investors or more Islamic international funds,” said Alaoui.



Co-existence, Islamic Finance & Investment Conference in Dublin

Two-day International Conference on

Islamic Finance & Investment in Dublin

Dr. Mozammel Haque

Dublin, Ireland: Ireland is positioning itself as an European hub for Islamic finance; infrastructure in place; greater efficiencies – cost and time; open dialogue between industry and government, said Mr. Tom Woods, Financial Services, Tax, KPMG Partner, Dublin, Ireland, at the Two-day International Conference on Islamic Finance & Investment, organised by the Irish Business Executives Forum (IBEF), Dr. Sheikh Shaheed Satardien, President of the Muslim Council of Ireland (MCI) and International Islamic Forum for Dialogue (IIFD, held on 5-6 June, 2012, at Dunboyne Castle Hotel, Dublin, Ireland.

Dr. Sheikh Shaheed Satardien

In his inaugural speech, Dr. Sheikh Shaheed Satardien, President of the Muslim Council of Ireland and the Executive Chairman of the Irish Business Executives Forum (IBEF) said, “Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) married a prominent businesswoman, Khadeejah, when he was 25 and she was 40 and a widow. Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) did not begin to receive revelations from God until he was 40, so he had been a merchant for nearly 30 years before being given his divine mission. He did not begin preaching Islam until he was 43 which he continued until his death at the age of 63. Thus the Prophet was a merchant for a longer period than he was a religious leader.”

“So the founder of Islam had huge experience of commerce prior to his revelations from God. The message he received from God on the subject of economics was thus readily understood by him. The Holy Qur’an states that interest must not charged in lending money. That is the most fundamental aspect of Islamic Finance. From an Islamic point of view an increase in capital without any services provided or risk incurred is forbidden. You may ask, if a bank or other lender, cannot charge interest how can it make a return on its money?” Dr. Satardien said.

Speaking about how big is Islamic Finance, Dr. Satardien mentioned, “According to Standard & Poor’s Rating Service Islamic finance assets reached at least $400 billion during 2009 with a potential market of $4 trillion. According to Forbes in 2008, there are at least $500 billion in assets being managed according to Islamic principles and that the market is growing at more than 10% per year. Although it may be much smaller than the non-Islamic financial industry, these figures are very significant. Many of the biggest Islamic banks are in Iran, with Bank Melli having assets of over $45 billion. Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Malaysia and the United Arab Emirates are also big movers in the Islamic finance world.”

In his inaugural speech, Dr. Satardien raised a number of questions. He said, “Many of the problems which dominate our lives are economic problems. Why are some countries poor with very low growth rates while a small number of countries enjoy high living standards and high growth rates? What is the role of international trade, and the movement of capital from one country to another, in explaining these global inequalities? Why are some countries so much more successful at creating employment or reducing unemployment than other countries?”

“Within countries, why do some people earn so much more than others, and what are the best ways to tackle and reduce poverty? Is it possible to pursue economic growth and still protect our natural and physical environments? How should governments try to raise the finance needed to pay for health and education services and income support programmes? What is the proper role for government in the economy? Would we be better off with much lower taxes but also poorer social services than we presently enjoy? Dr. Satardien asked all these questions.

Mr. Eunan King

Mr. Eunan King, Director of King Research Ltd, Dublin, spoke on the Irish Crisis is now a Euro Crisis. He talked about the origin of crisis. He has given a picture of the economic boom in Ireland in the 1990s before Euro entry. He said Ireland was growing rapidly prior to Euro entry; low Euro interest rates, strong underlying demand for housing from demographic factors. So this credit boom was driven by low interest rates, rapid growth in household formation and inappropriate tax incentives. So there was credit boom. Strong growth boosted tax revenue. He said public finances appeared very robust as tax revenues surged; Government increased public sector pay and social welfare benefits substantially in and the Government still ran a budget surplus.

Then Mr. King said about boom to bust. How it happened? He mentioned that the bust was sparked by the international credit crunch; the degree of overheating in the domestic property market and the taxes fell sharply and the expenditure (pay/social welfare bills) remained very high. Mr. King also mentioned what happened to Mortgage lending and stamp duty. He said growth in credit fuelled property price inflation and property transaction volumes and taxes related to property sales (stamp duty) ballooned. So Mr. King said, both credit and tax revenue imploded when the bust came.

Speaking about Government debt level and %GDP, Mr. King mentioned large deficits and the socialisation of Bank debt led to a rapid increase in Government debt. The Bank debt assumed by the Government equates to nearly 30% of GDP.

But Mr. King said the case of Ireland is different from all other EU countries; because he mentioned there are large numbers of persons of working age; persons aged over 65 per 100 of working age. He said the IMF/EU provided a Euro 85bn Bailout Fund in 2010 mainly because of emerging banking crisis. The detailed “Blackrock” analysis of Banks’ Capital Requirements in 2011 reinforced the visibility of the bad loan position.

Mr. King said the measures taken to date to solve the Euro Crisis have been piecemeal. Fiscal issues, debt levels and Support for Banking Systems have to be addressed. He also said that a support mechanism for Bank is needed. The EU needs to set up a mechanism to fund Banks directly. The Irish model, in which the Government took on Bank debt, would be a disaster for the EU.

However, he summarises his presentation and concluded by saying, Ireland has managed to survive a major financial crisis. It has still significant hurdles to overcome. It will stay in the Euro: (Referendum “Yes” Vote). The Euro has to survive because the world financial system will be in peril if it breaks up, he said.

 Mr. TomWoods

Under this situation, what the Islamic Finance can do? The next speaker, Mr. Tom Woods, Financial Services, Tax, KPMG Partner, Dublin, Ireland, spoke on the opportunities for Islamic Finance.

He gave a brief overview of Islamic Finance in Ireland. He said, Ireland has a well-developed, highly regarded and vibrant international financial centre (IFSC) and it has aviation, Funds, Securitisation and established gateway to European market.

Mr. Woods mentioned about the positive factors which Ireland has such as, Ireland is a founding member of Euro zone, English-speaking; young, dynamic and well-educated workforce; Single Financial Services Regulatory Authority is and Common law legal system.

He also mentioned, some other factors, such as transparent system, Time zone – East meets West, Lower cost base – significant competitiveness improvement. There is largest foreign direct investment in 2011 for over 10 years and it was voted 10th in the world for Ease of Doing Business, Mr. Woods mentioned.

Referring to opportunities, Mr. Woods said, 0% tax rate for qualifying funds; withholding tax exemptions on lease rentals, interests and dividends; 12.5% corporation tax rate – secure (lowest amongst OECD member countries).

He also mentioned about 66 tax treaties signed including UAE, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Malaysia, Egypt, Kuwait, India and Pakistan. There are lot of incentives for foreign employees. He said, 37.5% relief for R&D activities – extends to development in finance.

Speaking about the Islamic Finance developments in Ireland, Mr. Woods mentioned, in 2008, Financial Regulator established a team specialising in Sharia compliant funds in order to expedite approval process. In 2009, Woods mentioned, Irish Tax Authorities issued briefing confirming that Sharia compliant funds, Ijarah transactions and Takaful arrangements were to be taxed on the same basis as that applicable to the comparable conventional financial products.

In 2010, Woods mentioned Irish Tax Legislation was amended to tax Islamic Banking Products and Sukuk issuances on the same basis as their conventional equivalents. This includes Murabaha, Diminishing Musharaka and Wakala arrangements. Broadly, the return under such arrangements is treated for tax purposes in the same way as interest is. A person elects into the tax regime.

In 2011, Woods mentioned, Taoiseach, the Irish Prime Minister spoke of Government’s view of Islamic Finance as an area where there is significant potential for growth in Ireland. While the Funds industry in particular has been successful in developing and promoting Ireland as an attractive location for Islamic Funds there remains an opportunity for further growth and diversification particularly within the banking and securitisation markets. Islamic Finance is one of the major growth areas in international finance and the Government has indicated its commitment to playing its role to support the development of this sector in Ireland.

Speaking about the Islamic finance offering in Ireland, Mr. Woods mentioned, Double tax treaties with UAE, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Malaysia, Turkey, Pakistan, Egypt, Morocco and Kuwait. Treaty at concluding stages with Qatar; negotiations underway with Jordon, Libya and Tunisia; bilateral agreements entered into by Irish Regulator with UAE, Bahrain, Qatar and Dubai.

Mr.Woods also said dedicated team was established to expedite a sharia compliant fund applications; sharia compliant funds and leasing operations established in Ireland. He also mentioned, increasing interest in using Ireland as onshore location for Sukuk issuances; increasing interest in investing in aviation assets and renewable energy projects.

Woods also mentioned about the Islamic Chamber of Commerce/Irish Business Executives Forum.

Concluding his presentation, Mr. Woods observed, Ireland is positioning itself as an European hub for Islamic finance; infrastructure in place; greater efficiencies – cost and time; open dialogue between industry and government and proven truck record of delivering, he mentioned.

Earlier, Dr. Abdullah Omar Naseef, President of World Muslim Congress and Dr. Hamid al-Rifaie, spoke at the Conference opening day.

An interview with Dr. Naseef

I had the opportunity to interview Dr. Abdullah Omar Naseef, President of the World Muslim League, who came to Dublin from Saudi Arabia to attend and participate at the conference. He said, “There is no doubt Islamic Finance and Islamic economics in general has been very well developed to share the international finance arena through research and practical investment. All kinds of Islamic investments have become reality and it is now almost all big banks in the west are using it and because of the economic crisis in Europe, there are funds. In recent years, there is a big call that Islam can offer solution to the problem; can introduce still without calling it Islamic which will develop Western economy and try to overcome some of the difficulties they are facing.”

“And all these things are in my mind today because this is to bring better understanding and contacts and better connections between the Western Financial organisations and the Islamic world especially in Ireland because in Ireland Irish people are very much close to the Arabs and they want to develop and they have their own problems of economy. I think I am sure they will find solutions Islamic way of investment and finance, again without calling it Islamic. This is what has been talked today as Safe economy, which is very attending to the needs of the several societies and caring for the poor and so on,” Dr. Naseef said.

Dr. Naseef also recalled, “What I mentioned today that in 1978 or in 1979 there was an Islamic Economics Conference in Makkah about the Islamic Finance and the papers offered at that conference were very very great and very important and it shows now that it was very foresighted conference in Makkah.”

Dr. Mozammel Haque Receives an Award of Excellence at Dublin Conference

Dr. Mozammel Haque Receives Award of

Excellence at Dublin Conference 2012

Dublin, Ireland: Dr. Mozammel Haque, Media Advisor, Islamic Cultural Centre, London and former Editor of the Muslim World League Journal, Makkah, Saudi Arabia, received Award of Excellence at the Dublin Conference on Co-existence, Islamic Finance & Investment, on 6th of June 2012.

Mr. Paul McMohan, Director of the Irish Business Executives Forum (IBEF), Dublin and Dr. Sheikh Shaheed Satardien, President of the Muslim Council of Ireland, Dublin, presented the Award of Excellence to Dr. Mozammel Haque for outstanding services towards the upliftment of Islam & the promotion of Islamic finance.

Dr. Haque attended the Two-day International conference on Co-existence, Islamic Finance & Investment, organised by the Dublin-based Irish Business Executives Forum (IBEF) and the Jeddah-based International Islamic Forum for Dialogue (IIFD, held on 5-6 June, 2012, at Dunboyne Castle Hotel, Dublin, Ireland.

The conference was attended and participated by Banking professionals, academics, Shari’ah scholars, professionals, business executives, investors and practitioners of Islamic finance from all over the world, such as the United States of America, the UK, France, Canada, Saudi Arabia, Libya, Bermuda, etc.

The Conference aimed to create increased awareness among professionals and the wider community to establish a profound knowledge of proven strategies that can potentially change the future of conventional and Islamic banking industry in the country.

The Conference also aspired to assemble the brightest minds in the industry to aid organisations in setting trends and encourage innovation for the banking and investment sector to develop, thrive and connect to the global Islamic economy.

The events featured countless opportunities to network exchange of ideas and encourage dialogue on current issues to respond to the challenges facing the finance industry today.

Dr. Haque presented a paper on “Islamic Finance, the Role of Islamic Development Bank (IDB) and the UK experience at the conference. He spoke on the historical progress of Islamic Finance and Investment in the United Kingdom.