Saudi women gear up for new freedom as driving ban ends

June 24, 2018 Article

Women will hit the roads in Saudi Arabia on Sunday with the lifting of the world’s last ban on female drivers, long seen as an emblem of women’s repression in the conservative kingdom.

The move, ordered last September by King Salman, is part of sweeping reforms pushed by his powerful young son Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who aims to transform the economy of the world’s top oil exporter and open up its cloistered society.

“We are ready, and it will totally change our life,” said Samira al-Ghamdi, a 47-year-old psychologist from Jeddah, one of the first Saudi women to be issued with a driving license.

The lifting of the ban, which for years drew international condemnation and comparisons to the Taliban’s rule in Afghanistan, has been welcomed by Western allies as proof of a new progressive trend in Saudi Arabia.

But it has been accompanied by a harsh crackdown on dissent, including against some of the very activists who previously campaigned against the ban. They will sit in jail as their peers take to the road legally for the first time.

Saudi women with foreign licenses only began converting them earlier this month, so the number of new drivers is expected to remain low at first. It will be some time before others learning to drive at new state-run schools are road ready.

And some women still face resistance from conservative relatives. Many accustomed to using a private driver say they are reluctant to take on the Muslim kingdom’s busy highways.

“I definitely won’t like to drive,” said Fayza al-Shammary, a 22-year-old saleswoman. “I like to be a princess with someone opening the car door for me and driving me anywhere.”

Concerns that women drivers will face abuse in a country where strict segregation rules usually prevent women from interacting with unrelated men prompted a new law last month with jail and hefty fines for sexual harassment.

The Interior Ministry plans to hire women traffic police for the first time, but it is unclear when they will be deployed.

ECONOMIC BOON

The decision to lift the ban in the tightly-controlled Muslim kingdom – where once-forbidden cinemas and concerts have also returned – is expected to boost the economy, with industries from car sales to insurance to reap returns.

It should also encourage more women into the workforce and raise productivity, if only modestly at first.

Auto companies have seized the moment with theatrical ads marking the end of the ban, and private parking garages designated “ladies” areas with pink signage.

Social media is also celebrating with tweets like #You_Will_Drive_and_the_People_Are_With_You. Some reactions have been more derisive or expressed concern about social impacts.

Much of the kingdom’s overwhelmingly young population supports Prince Mohammed’s reforms, but many Saudis fear their speed could provoke a backlash from religious conservatives once seen as dominant.

Activists and diplomats have speculated that the arrests of more than a dozen women’s rights advocates over the past month were aimed at appeasing conservative elements or at sending a message to activists not to push demands too far.

The crown prince’s modernisation efforts have won praise at home and abroad, but he has also provoked unease with an anti-corruption purge last year, when scores of royals and top businessmen were detained at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel in Riyadh. Most were freed after reaching settlements with the government.

Even with the end of the driving ban, Saudi Arabia remains one of the most restrictive countries for women, who need permission from legally mandated male guardians for important decisions such as foreign travel and marriage.

Activists have already begun campaigning to end the guardianship system, which has been chipped away at slowly over the years. Prince Mohammed declared in an interview earlier this year that he believes men and women are equal.

But veteran Saudi activist Hala Aldosari says women remain second-class citizens and criticised the crown prince’s “piecemeal approach” as serving the interests of the elite at the expense of women from more restrictive families.

“Worst of all will be if these small-scale reforms, and the silencing of feminists, slow the momentum for pushing the Saudi regime into making more meaningful change,” she wrote in a U.S. newspaper this week.

 

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Categories: Crown Prince, Driving Ban, Female ban on driving, News, Prince Mohammed, Saudi Arabia, Saudi Women

Muslim Convert Says ‘Enough of the Denial: It’s time to face the ugly truth of extremism’

May 20, 2018 Article

I’ve been a Muslim for a few years now and from day one I knew that Islam did not promote terrorism. Before I became Muslim, I was already well-informed about Islam as a whole through self-learning and I was also explicitly taught by everyone I knew and encountered in my journey that terrorism was unequivocally un-Islamic. There was no question about it: Islam is about peace, faith, love and humanity. 

However, several years later, I’ve become shocked and quite frankly tired – incredibly tired in fact – at just how widespread extremist ideology is within certain segments of the British Muslim community. Certain bodies, speakers and publications are pushing harmful, divisive, reactionary and toxic narratives. Time and time again they have been found to express extremist beliefs and proved links to extremist individuals and groups. Yet time and time again, no one says anything. 

I have been on a long path of discovery and I know I am not alone in saying that this extremism ranges from the intolerant to the violent. It’s not simply about those in on the front page when a terror attack hits. It’s a wide, long path that is not being exposed and redirected. From sectarianism – vilifying Shia and Ahmadiyya Muslims – to rampant anti-Semitism, homophobia and sexism, I find myself questioning more and more, how can the government deal with this? And more so, why is nothing being said? More importantly, beyond the government, there’s the role of civil society. Yet there’s sadly a lack of inward reflection and dialogue by certain segments of the Muslim community. 

I’m in fact shocked at how much of these beliefs and behaviours are being ignored both within and outside the Muslim community. Ignorant, intolerant, extremist views are not only existent among certain segments of the community but in fact often normalised, with some Muslims even in denial of the disturbing and irrational nature of these doctrines. These leaders and individuals promote a self-proclaimed message of peace and harmony on the face of it – or at the very least denounce acts of terror – but on their terms, as at the same time they accept and promulgate vile, morally abhorrent or at best completely outdated beliefs. 

This is a serious issue. Young men do not suddenly wake up one day and decide to take up arms and join ISIS out of the blue. It’s a slippery slope. Just as the path to genocide is a slippery slope of “otherising”, discrimination and exclusion, so is the blackened slope of extremism. It’s marred with self-victimisation, ignorance of Islam and social, political, geographical and cultural complexities – as well as of course other key factors such as racism and socio-economic exclusion. In the end though, healthy mature adults accept the dark path of jihadism for themselves. No matter what circumstance we are under, as long as we are healthy, mature and of full age, the way we think, believe and ultimately react is down to us.   

And this is where it becomes quite clear. We cannot sit back and simply just blame other people. Having spoken to Muslims from a variety of Muslim countries across the globe, I can quite honesty unequivocally state that some are shocked at the extremism rampant in this community, choosing not to attend mosques. How very sad yet telling this is…

We are confronting debates that are not even apparent overseas. Yes, as a human rights campaigner, I am all too aware of the issues within Muslim countries themselves, including the demonisation of political and social dissent as it becomes labelled automatically as “terrorism” and the lack of freedom of belief and association. This however does not negate the issues so widespread here in a free democratic society. Whilst we not should look to these nations as an example of freedom and democracy, on a social level we can examine how faith is practiced. At times, I am indeed shocked by certain levels of intolerance yet on other occasions I have witnessed a much more nuanced, intellectual and rational version of Islam – regardless of the level of “religious practice” or not.  

Here in the UK, I’ve seen babies – yes babies – in headscarves. I’ve witnessed horrible cases of anti-Semitism and I’m tired of a complete black and white naivety when it comes to conflict in the Middle East. Freedom of choice and belief is paramount, as is diversity of opinion – and also the crucial “middle path” as Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) declared himself so many years ago.   

Freedom of belief covers all range of faiths and teachings. Yet I am not simply talking about the need to accept differences of opinion and religious practice – which are in fact part of a rich yet often unheard of intellectual and theological diversity in Islam. No, instead I am talking about understanding, accepting, allowing and promoting basic freedoms, rights and levels of tolerance. I am speaking up against the vilifying of Jews (referred to as “pigs”), the exclusion of Ahmadi Muslims (called “Qadanis”) and the behaviour of certain Muslim men and women who excuse rape and victim blame by expressing at how women who are uncovered or “dressed “provocatively” are a “problem”. No. I am instead talking about those who openly denounce democracy in both implicit and explicit terms.  

I have myself been unfortunate to have visited a mosque where a fellow “brother” openly denounced democracy as un-Islamic. Yes. This is 2018. Yet, you’d think we’d gone back to the time of the Spanish inquisition or crusades. Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) was an embodiment of the Qur’an, where Allah Almighty tells us Himself: la ikra fii deen – there is no compulsion in religion (2:256). So, tell me: where have such people lead themselves to?

Cultural patriarchal attitudes, religious sectarianism and Wahhabi-style teachings imported from overseas across the globe to Britain are avow. I can count on more than one hand the number of preachers, mosques and bodies who have a murky history and who I alone have to avoid/reject or sever links with. This isn’t hearsay. These issues relate to things that they have explicitly said, platforms they have shared and beliefs that they promote.

For example, whilst many Muslim men and women alike – including myself – continue to speak out about cultural misogyny, declaring cultural practises such as forced marriage as un-Islamic, we’re not really tackling the elephant in the room. We’re not grabbing the bull by its horns. Religious ultra-orthodoxy is an issue. All religions have different groups, doctrines and beliefs. We should not try to stifle diversity yet the fact is that there are people out there that who – according to their interpretation of Islam – believe that homosexuals should be executed and that homosexuality should be criminalised here in the UK. Likewise, there are people (respected preachers) who openly state that FGM/C is a “recommended practice” (even if not “compulsory”).

Likewise, certain Muslims cannot distinguish between anti-Semitism and the defence of human rights in Israel/Palestine. And yet they enjoin in the religious freedom we all cherish as they live their faith freely here in the UK. At the same time, there are many who also reject the same rights for Ahmadi Muslims, as for example those British Muslims who called for a recent Ahmadi advertisement to be withdrawn. Large segments of the Muslim community refuse to engage left, right and centre with this peaceful community. How sad that when attending a Muslim-led interfaith engagement, you’re joined solely by “Sunni majority” Muslims for example amongst members of other faith communities. Likewise, when attending an Ahmadi event as a friendly ally keen to engage with members of other faith traditions such as Christianity and Hinduism, there are no other Muslim representatives in the room. Would they attend? Quite simply no. Yet I ask, can we not see the blatant hypocrisy in standing for interfaith unity when there is such a blanket refusal to promote intrafaith cohesion?

One question I ask myself time and time again is: when you’re (again quite rightly) speaking out against human rights violations in places such as Myanmar and Palestine/Israel where other faith communities are involved (albeit the conflict/issues being political): where is your criticism of Saudi Arabia? Are you speaking out about the bombing and starvation of innocent Yemeni men, women and children before you enjoin in travels to KSA? Are you campaigning against forced veiling in Iran when you protest (again rightly so) about discrimination against Muslim hijabi women in non-Muslim countries? Furthermore, are you fighting against human trafficking when you visit the Gulf States – often practically built on modern slavery? 

I reiterate, Islam is a blessing of mercy. It is not a violent curse. God calls upon us to use our minds, to rationalise, to be merciful, to think, to reason – not to bellow, to curse others or to alienate brothers and sisters in faith and humanity. And before you cry “Islamophobia!”, let me stress: I am Muslim. I stand against anti-Muslim hate. I stand against Islamophobia and I stand against the far-right. I also however stand against anti-Semitism, homophobia, racism of all kinds and quite crucially the abuse of human rights across the globe. Yet at the same time, I have also been met with slurs such as “oreo” (although I’m “white”), “whore” and “munafiq” (hypocrite) when speaking out against Islamic extremism and intolerant practices. Well, no. I am none of these. What I am in fact is honest – honest to my heart, my soul, my mind and to God. 

So, to conclude, I stand up and say: when will so many of those who do not question open their eyes, their ears and realise that they speak for themselves? There can be no double standards. Human rights are for all. Islam is a humanistic universal faith. Islam does not stand for hatred, violence, bloodshed and exclusion. It stands for justice, self-sacrifice, tolerance, love and unity. We cannot keep simply blaming the media, government, colonialism and not look within our own community. We too must play our part. Ultimately, either you stand for everyone or you stand for no one.

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Categories: Ahmadi, Muslim, Opinions, Segments of the Muslim community, terrorism

Germany needs to do more to combat anti-Semitism, official says

April 28, 2018 Article

Germany must do more to tackle anti-Semitism and should set up a national database to record anti-Semitic incidents that are not included in crime statistics, the country’s first anti-Semitism commissioner Felix Klein said on Friday.

The former diplomat, who will take up the newly created position next month, also said anti-Semitism was still rooted largely in extreme right-wing ideology and was not only being driven by Germany’s growing Muslim population.

Anti-Semitism is a highly sensitive issue in Germany, whose Nazi-era government murdered more than 6 million Jews during the Holocaust.

“There are many things going on to combat anti-Semitism but all the efforts have to be coordinated and sharpened,” Klein told Reuters.

“I hear from Jewish communities that they feel that anti-Semitic attacks and incidents have risen but that there is not yet a serious database that underlines and supports that perception.”

He said a national database should include everything that is not considered criminal, such as vulgar behaviour and “stupid” comments. By drawing a more detailed picture, that would help authorities devise measures to combat anti-Semitism.

Last week, an Israeli Arab who wore the Jewish cap, or kippa, in Berlin as an experiment was subjected to verbal abuse by three people and was lashed with a belt by a Syrian Palestinian. A video was posted on the internet.

That followed reports of bullying of Jewish children in schools. Thousands of Germans wearing Jewish caps took part in nationwide rallies on Wednesday to show solidarity with the Jewish community.

Official figures for the first eight months of 2017 showed nearly 93 percent of reported anti-Semitic crimes were linked to far-right extremism, despite predictions that a big jump in the Muslim population since Europe’s 2015 migrant crisis could fuel attacks or discrimination against Jews.

Klein stressed that anti-Semitism had been a problem in Germany long before the refugee influx and added that Jewish institutions here and in other countries had needed police protection before migrants started coming in large numbers.

“Anti-Semitism is not only Muslim-driven in Germany,” he said. “Of course we have a new challenge and new forms of anti-Semitism which we have to address and combat, but the great problem also rests with right-wing anti-Semitism and we have to develop good strategies to combat that, as we did before.”

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Categories: anti-Semitism, combat anti-Semitism, Fascism, Felix Klein, Germany, Muslim, Muslim population, News

Christians should not be second-class citizens, cardinal tells Saudi Arabia

April 27, 2018 Article

A senior Vatican official who last week made a historic visit to Saudi Arabia says he told authorities in the kingdom, where non-Muslim worship is banned, that Christians cannot be considered second-class citizens.

French cardinal Jean-Louis Tauran’s trip, the first by such a senior Catholic figure, raised hopes of more openness in the kingdom, which is home to Islam’s holiest sites but bans the practice of other faiths. It included a meeting with King Salman, his first with a Catholic official.

“I think all religions are faced with two dangers: terrorism and ignorance,” Tauran, who is head of the Vatican’s Council for Inter-religious Dialogue, told Vatican Radio.

“During my meetings, I insisted very much on this point, that Christians and non-Muslims are spoken of well in schools and that they are never considered second-class citizens,” he said.

Tauran, 75, who signed a cooperation accord with Saudi authorities, said he sensed that they wanted “to show that even in Saudi Arabia there is the possibility of discussion, and therefore of changing the country’s image”.

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has promised to promote interfaith dialogue as part of his domestic reforms in the deeply conservative kingdom.

The young prince has rocketed to the pinnacle of power, pushing a reform agenda called Vision 2030 aimed at weaning the country off oil and introducing social changes.

As part of his push for a more moderate Islam, the crown prince has loosened social restrictions, scaling back the role of religious police and permitting public concerts. The government also announced plans to allow women to drive this year.

“The new generation can really help ‘change gears,’ in a certain sense,” Tauran said.

Tauran’s visit followed a flurry of meetings between senior Saudi figures and representatives of other Christian denominations.

Last month in London, the Crown Prince met the Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby, who is spiritual head of the worldwide Anglican communion.

Lebanon’s Christian Maronite Patriarch visited Saudi Arabia in November. Patriarch Beshara al-Rai heads the Maronite church, which has a presence in Lebanon, Syria and Cyprus and follows an Eastern rite of the Roman Catholic church.

Most Christians in Saudi Arabia are migrant workers and diplomats. Since churches are banned, they worship in private homes.

In 1995, on the same day Rome’s first mosque opened with the Vatican’s blessing, the late Pope John Paul pointedly noted in a speech that “In some Islamic countries, similar signs of recognition of religious freedom are lacking”.

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Categories: Christians, Crown Prince, King Salman, News, Saudi Arabia, Vatican

Free Speech of the Ahmadi Community in the UK Curtailed by Bigotry

April 8, 2018 Article

We have learnt that the Ahmadi community in the United Kingdom have had their right to free expression curtailed once again.

The online site, Christian Today, mentioned the following in their article about the obstructions that were put in front of the Ahmadi community in their recent campaign. Their site stated:

“An email template seen by Christian Today and sent to Ahmadi opponents claimed ‘the billboard incites hatred, it is deeply offensive and hurtful to millions of British citizens’. The email urges other Muslims to write to the ASA (Advertising Standards Agency), the Metropolitan Police and the Charity Commission asking them to take the billboards down”.

Following on from this, Farooq Aftab, a spokesperson for the Ahmadi community, contacted Faith Matters and said, “We had booked a number of digital billboards with Primesight for our ‘Messiah Has Come’ Campaign.  Initially you will recall that we started with Glasgow earlier in the year but due to complaints by Muslims they took off.  After the ASA said there was no offence committed they were restarted.”

He went onto say:

“In the past few weeks we booked a number of billboards which Primesight, (the billboard advertising agency), recommended to us. Inadvertently one was near Birmingham mosque which we were not aware of.  Due to complaints, particularly from some Muslims in the area, the billboards were taken down and also in locations such as Barnet, Lambeth, Leeds and Birmingham.

“When we contacted the company we were told that they were taken down because of ‘security’. In one instance we were told that when the Merton billboards were being put up, the person putting them up was threatened, so he stopped.  When asked why the police had not been informed of this, there was no response”.

Aftab also spoke to the Chief Executive Officer of Primesight and was told that they had taken down the billboards after complaints and he was challenged by Aftab that the basic beliefs of the Ahmadi community were not being respected and they had to right to advertise a peaceful message since they were not harming anyone. He even suggested that other Muslims could put up billboards saying that the ‘Messiah has not come’.

Aftab also showed Faith Matters Whatsapp messages that had been circulating which included the following text:

“Salam everyone. We have managed to speak to the advertising agency regarding the Ahmadiyya sign boards in Birmingham and they have promised to remove ASAP. But at the same time they have asked members of the Muslim community to visit their website and log their complain. Can I request all of you to visit this website and forward it to your contacts to act immediately.  www.primesight.co.uk”

Aftab finally stated the following:

“The True Islam Campaigns purpose is to educate people on the true and peaceful teachings of Islam as practised by the Holy Prophet, Muhammad. The Billboard Campaign, ‘The Messiah Has Come’ aims to educate the public on the beliefs of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community. Ahmadi Muslims believe in the finality of prophethood in accordance with the Holy Quran and the sayings and practices of the Holy Prophet Muhammad and to suggest otherwise is incorrect. Every individual and group has the right to manifest and profess their faith and to curb this would not only be a breach of basic human rights but contrary to the values of freedom of speech and expression which we cherish in this country. 

“Members of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community are Muslims and the community in the UK is one of the oldest and well integrated in society, contributing at all levels and has not had one incident of radicalisation or extremism. It is clearly doing something right. Further, it is not for states, authorities or organisations to interfere in religious matters. There needs to be a clear separation of State and Church so to speak, otherwise we will go down a very slippery slope with groups or people trying to monopolise religion. No one can determine someone’s faith. This is a matter between God and the individual and the hallmark of a pluralistic and democratic society.” 

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Categories: Ahmaddiya, Ahmadi, ahmadi community, Billboards, Messiah, News, Primesight

French Muslims Want to Be Like Anyone Else, Just Not Victims

April 7, 2018 Article

We have spent a week in France meeting with key organisations and with people who understand how poisonous the tentacles of Islamist extremism have been and how they have also given rise to greater feelings of anti-Muslim hatred, which have been fuelled by a number of factors. We have spoken to Muslims who see the victim narrative pumped into French Muslims who have suffered anti-Muslim hate incidents and to those who have had their fears expanded because of the perpetual victim narrative that Islamist groups in the country have been promoting. 

What is happening in France is troubling. It is troubling since the State is grappling with extremism, disaffection within parts of its population, anti-migrant attitudes and a hardening of political stances to groups who talk about discrimination. Yet, there is another issue that is layered on top of this and it includes Islamist groups who talk about Islamophobia as if there is a perpetual battle between Muslims and the State. They take a ‘them and us’ approach which is constantly filtered into discussions and talks at a local level and the impression that Muslims come away with after listening to such groups is that they are being targeted for persecution by the State. This thinking and the re-enforcement of the belief that Muslims are being persecuted by the State, does the following. It re-enforces just the Muslim identity within those who accept this toxic message and it further alienates and marginalises them mentally to their surroundings and to those who are non-Muslim.

This is not to take away from the state of emergency laws that were enacted in France after the massive terrorist attacks in Paris and which went on for two years, finally to be lifted in late 2017. There were real issues of infringements on civil liberties and life for some French Muslims is further complicated by abuse and racism. However, instead of raising the morale of French Muslims with hope, French Muslims are fed a diet of ‘raging Islamophobia’, a French State that does not care for them and a sense of being embattled that all plays into the hands of radicalisers. What women can and can’t wear is naturally a campaigning point for these groups, as is Islamophobia, something that we would term, anti-Muslim hate. Yet, the very defence of freedoms that these groups cite, they will not be willing to defend if, for example, a gay Muslim wanted to join them and speak about Islam openly. Or, if an Ahmadi Muslim wanted their open support, or if an ex-Muslim called for solidarity with them. Then these freedoms become a ‘pick and mix’ approach, something that shows how such groups discard democracy as soon as it does not suit them. 

France is in a complex and difficult place, though President Macron has made some really bold moves. The first of these is to reach out into the banlieues of France to try and reverse some of the deep unemployment and disaffection that is felt in these areas. He also has spoken of tackling the ‘slow burn of Islamist extremism’

France’s democratic values should not be at odds with Muslims. But with Islamists in the ascendance in Muslim communities in France, there is a risk that the very values that France defends, may become the ones that are attacked in the future.

 

 

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Categories: Banlieu, Egalite, Far Right groups, France, Fraternite, Liberte, Macron, Muslim, News

Statement from Fiyaz Mughal on Dispatches “Who Speaks for British Muslims?”

March 26, 2018 Article

“We believe that tackling extremism within our own community and working with other groups is an essential part of tackling anti-Muslim hate crime. It is through partnerships like this and an enduring empathy around the human rights of others, which can help build alliances and stronger social cohesion. 

Our approach so far has been not to highlight divisions. This is contrary to groups whom Ware investigates in the programme entitled, “Who Speaks for British Muslims”.

The programme explains how some groups play on a divisive approach targeted at British Muslim communities.  But this agenda of tackling anti-Muslim hate and protecting social cohesion is too important to be left to those who would divide the community and ignore intolerance. This is why we chose to speak out and take part in the Dispatches documentary.

We will continue to fight for an inclusive approach to Islam, based on pluralism and where dissent is part of the cornerstone of healthy communities. We also know that colleagues in other programmes of work that we have set up, will continue to diligently tackle anti-Muslim hatred as they have done for over 6 years now. This means that we will continue to speak up where we see this approach being abused.

Faith Matters believe we have a better, more positive and, vitally, more effective approach to tackling anti-Muslim hatred than has traditionally been taken by some other organisations in this field. At the heart of our approach is a belief in universal human rights.

As a result, our approach is completely inclusive. We work with LGBT organisations, feminist campaigns, those tackling antisemitism, and groups tackling bigotry wherever it is found. We work with people of all faiths and none to tackle extremism in all its forms. We challenge intolerance within our own communities. We don’t pander to win support, but always go back to our founding principle of universal rights. We believe this approach strengthens our ability to combat anti-Muslim hatred.

We build alliances through the consistency of our approach. It is by building on this strong community of human rights allies; challenging communities when it does not adopt this approach and consistently arguing that anti-Muslim hatred has the same root causes as homophobia, anti-Semitism, sexism, racism and all other hatred-driven intolerances that we make our case.

We hope this explains why the decision was made to engage with the Dispatches programme entitled, “Who Speaks for British Muslims”.”

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Categories: anti-Muslim hate, Channel 4, Dispatches, John Ware, Opinions, Who Speaks for British Muslims

Saudi Arabia says revamping education to combat ‘extremist ideologies’

March 22, 2018 Article

Saudi Arabia is revamping its education curriculum to eradicate any trace of Muslim Brotherhood influence and will dismiss anyone working in the sector who sympathises with the banned group, the education minister said.

Promoting a more moderate form of Islam is one of the promises made by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman under plans to modernise the deeply conservative Muslim kingdom.

The education ministry is working to “combat extremist ideologies by reviewing school curricula and books to ensure they do not reflect the banned Muslim Brotherhood’s agenda,” Ahmed bin Mohammed al-Isa said in a statement issued on Tuesday.

It would “ban such books from schools and universities and remove those who sympathise with the group or its ideology from their posts,” he added.

In September, a large Saudi public university announced it would dismiss employees suspected of ties to the Muslim Brotherhood, adding to concerns that the government is clamping down on its critics in academia and beyond.

Earlier this month, Crown Prince Mohammed told CBS in an interview that Saudi schools have been “invaded” by elements of the Muslim Brotherhood, which has been designated by Saudi Arabia as a terrorist organisation along with other militant groups such as al Qaeda and Islamic State.

INTERNAL THREAT

The young crown prince has already taken some steps to loosen Saudi Arabia’s ultra-strict social restrictions, scaling back the role of religious morality police, permitting public concerts and announcing plans to allow women to drive.

The ruling Al Saud family has always regarded Islamist groups as a major internal threat to its rule over a country where appeals to religious sentiment resonate deeply and an al Qaeda campaign a decade ago killed hundreds.

Since the kingdom’s founding, the Al Saud have enjoyed a close alliance with clerics of the ultra-conservative Wahhabi school of Islam who have espoused a political philosophy that demands obedience to the ruler.

By contrast the Brotherhood advances an active political doctrine urging revolutionary action.

A political Islamist organisation founded in Egypt nearly a century ago, the Muslim Brotherhood says it is committed to peaceful activism and reform through elections, and its adherents span the region, holding elected office in Arab countries from Tunisia to Jordan.

Brotherhood members fleeing repression in Egypt, Syria and Iraq half a century ago took shelter in Saudi Arabia, some taking up roles in the kingdom’s education system and helping to establish the Sahwa or “Awakening” movement which agitated in the 1990s for democracy.

The Sahwa mostly fizzled, with some activists arrested and others coaxed into conformity, though admirers and its appeal lingered.

 

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Categories: Mohammed bin Salman, Muslim Brotherhood, Mutaween, News, Saudi Arabia

Saudi women should have choice whether to wear abaya robe – crown prince

March 19, 2018 Article

Women in Saudi Arabia need not wear headcover or the black abaya – the loose-fitting, full-length robes symbolic of Islamic piety – as long as their attire is “decent and respectful”, the kingdom’s reform-minded crown prince said.

With the ascent to power of young Prince Mohammad bin Salman, the kingdom has seen an expansion in women’s rights including a decision to allow women to attend mixed public sporting events and the right to drive cars from this summer.

The changes have been hailed as proof of a new progressive trend towards modernisation in the deeply conservative Muslim kingdom, although the gender-segregated nation continues to be criticized for its continued constraints on women.

“The laws are very clear and stipulated in the laws of sharia (Islamic law): that women wear decent, respectful clothing, like men,” Prince Mohammed said in an interview with CBS television aired late on Sunday.

“This, however, does not particularly specify a black abaya or a black head cover. The decision is entirely left for women to decide what type of decent and respectful attire she chooses to wear.”

A senior cleric said last month that women should dress modestly, but this did not necessitate wearing the abaya.

It remains unclear if these statements signal a change in the enforcement of women’s dress code in the kingdom. Saudi Arabia has no written legal code to go with the texts making up sharia, and police and judiciary have long enforced a strict dress code requiring Saudi women to wear abayas and in many cases to cover their hair and faces.

But the kingdom has witnessed a cautious new climate of social freedoms with the rise of the 32-year-old crown prince to power after decades of elderly rulers.

Saudi women have started wearing more colourful abayas in recent years, the light blues and pinks in stark contrast with the traditional black. Open abayas over long skirts or jeans are also becoming more common in some parts of the country.

On March 8, a group of women in the Saudi city of Jeddah marked International Women’s Day by exercising one of their newly acquired freedoms: the right to go for a jog, paying no heed to bemused onlookers.

However, activists have blasted the country’s continued guardianship system requiring a male family member to grant permission for a woman to study abroad, travel and other activities.

Last week, a U.N. rights watchdog called on Saudi Arabia to end discriminatory practices against women including male guardianship, and give them full access to justice.

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Categories: Abaya, Clothing, Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman, Modesty, News, Saudi Arabia

Belgium takes back Brussels’ Grand Mosque from Saudi government

March 17, 2018 Article

Belgium is taking back control of the Grand Mosque of Brussels by terminating Saudi Arabia’s lease of the building with immediate effect over concerns it promotes radicalism, the government said on Friday.

The announcement is Belgium’s first official confirmation of the move which comes after months of behind the scenes diplomacy to prevent any fall-out with Saudi Arabia, as reported by Reuters in February.

Concerns over Brussels’ biggest mosque, located near the European Union’s headquarters, surfaced after Islamist militants who plotted their assault in Brussels killed 130 people in Paris in 2015, and 32 in the Belgian capital in 2016.

Friday’s decision breaks Saudi Arabia’s unusual 99-year, rent free use of the building, the government said.

“The concession will be terminated immediately … in order to put an end to foreign interference in the way Islam is taught in Belgium,” the Belgian government said in a statement.

Belgium leased the Grand Mosque to Riyadh in 1969, giving Saudi-backed imams access to a growing Muslim immigrant community, mostly from Morocco and Turkey, in return for cheaper oil for its industry.

It has been run by the Mecca-based Muslim World League (MWL), a missionary society mainly funded by Saudi Arabia. The MWL denies it espouses violence.

Belgian Interior Minister Jan Jambon tweeted of Friday’s announcement that “in this way we are tackling Salafist, violent extremist influences.”

Riyadh’s quick acceptance of Brussels’ request to relinquish the lease reflects a new readiness by the kingdom to promote a more moderate form of Islam – one of the more ambitious promises made by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman under plans to transform Saudi Arabia and reduce its reliance on oil.

The handover of the mosque coincides with a new Saudi initiative, not publicly announced but described to Reuters by Western officials, to end support for mosques and religious schools abroad blamed for spreading radical ideas.

Justice Minister Koen Geens said the sprawling complex will instead house the offices of the Muslim Executive of Belgium, an official body which represents Muslim communities across the country.

The mosque will have to register as a place of worship, he said.

Geens and other Belgian leaders couched the move as a way to promote a “European Islam” better aligned with their values – a familiar refrain across Europe following recent Islamic State attacks.

“From now on, the mosque will have to establish a lasting relation with the Belgian authorities, while respecting the laws and the traditions of our country, which convey a tolerant vision of Islam,” Geens said.

In what he described as a way to promote more “diversity and transparency” within the mosque’s Muslim community, he said it should train imams and display a cultural exhibit on “the achievements of the Muslim civilisation”.

This move comes at a time when Islam is being discussed at Governmental levels in various countries. Faith Matters recently highlighted such a discussion in Germany.

Belgian security sources have told Reuters that the Muslim Executive of Belgium is close to the Moroccan government, with which Belgium has strong intelligence ties.

The post Belgium takes back Brussels’ Grand Mosque from Saudi government appeared first on Faith Matters.

Categories: Belgium, Grand Mosque, News, Paris attacks, Saudi Arabia