DUTCH TROOPS KILLED CIVILIANS IN AFGHANISTAN
Servie Holzken, a former Dutch soldier, told the local daily Trouw in a published story that Dutch troops may have killed civilians while firing on two houses in the central Afghan province of Uruzgan in 2007. This horrendous revelation came out recently. Holzken said they targeted houses that they thought belonged to Taliban militia, and when people started to flee the houses, the soldiers opened fire when they got orders through a walkie-talkie. Holzken also said no one shot back at them from the houses, and no gunfire was heard. “I am convinced that we shot and killed civilians,” Holzken said to the newspaper. The claims come in the wake of a report last month, claiming Australian special forces in Afghanistan killed 39 unarmed prisoners and civilians and that junior soldiers had been forced to kill captives who posed no threat.
ARAB LAWMAKER REBUKES UAE VISITORS IN KNESSET
An Arab-Israeli legislator rebuked officials from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) participating remotely in a special session of the Knesset, the country’s parliament. In an online special committee meeting, Sami Abou Shahadeh, a member of a coalition of Arab parties known as the Joint List, spoke in Arabic directly to the UAE officials, criticising Abu Dhabi’s diplomatic normalisation with Tel Aviv launched earlier this year. The session was attended by Jamal al-Jarwan, the secretary-general of the UAE International Investors Council for Investors Abroad, and Juma al-Kait, a trade official under the UAE Ministry of Economy. Israel and the UAE signed a US-sponsored deal in September to normalise their relations, a move that was followed by Bahrain and Sudan, and recently Morocco. The normalisation agreements have drawn widespread condemnations from Palestinians, who say the accords ignore their rights and do not serve the Palestinian cause.
EU UPHOLDS BELGIAN BAN ON HALAL, KOSHER SLAUGHTER
Europe’s top court backed a ban on the halal and kosher slaughter of animals in Belgium, triggering a backlash from Muslim and Jewish communities. The European Court of Justice ruled that “the principle that an animal should be stunned prior to being killed meets the main objective of the protection of animal welfare.” “The court concludes that the measures contained in the decree allow a fair balance to be struck between the importance attached to animal welfare and the freedom of Jewish and Muslim believers to manifest their religion,” the ruling said. Muslim and Jewish organisations are opposed to the law introduced by Belgium’s Flemish region in 2017 which prohibits the slaughter of animals without stunning beforehand. Muslim and Jewish communities, which make up about 6% of the Belgian population, argue that this is an infringement in their religious practices.
ON-SCREEN CHARISMA SHOULD BE FOLLOWED BY CHARACTER TOO
Syed Shah Iqmal, a self-claimed Islamic preacher, fell from the status of a celebrity to disgrace on account of a sex scandal. Syed Shah Iqmal was charged with rape, unnatural sex and outraging the modesty of one of his female followers, it seemed like half of Malaysia had an opinion. More commonly known as Da’i (a term for those who invite people to the religion), Iqmal had grown immensely popular following his stint in the show Da’i Pendakwah Nusantara (“Nusantara Preacher”), in which contestants competed to be the next big celebrity preacher. Winners of the shows receive prizes such as a trip to Makkah to perform the Haj pilgrimage, a job as an imam at a local mosque or even a full scholarship to universities in other Muslim countries. As in most reality shows, contestants are chosen for their on-screen charisma – rather than their religious credentials.
ISLAMIC RELIGIOUS COUNCIL INTRODUCES ZAKAT PAYMENT SYSTEM
The Perak Islamic Religious and Malay Customs Council (MAIPk) has introduced zakat (tithe) payment using the Shopee e-commerce platform to facilitate Muslim consumers. Chief executive officer Shahrul Azam Shaari said the selection of the e-commerce platform was to keep in step with the changing times as more consumers were opting for online transactions and purchases that were easier and faster. “Muslim consumers can make zakat payments via Shopee whether by using ShopeePay mobile wallet, debit card, online banking. Apart from that, payment in cash can also be made at the 7-Eleven counter,” he said in a statement. This will provide convenience to Muslim consumers in paying zakat, especially in Perak, he said, adding that the zakat collection will be distributed for the benefit of the asnaf group (deserving recipients).
JOKOWI RANKS AMONG WORLD’S MOST INFLUENTIAL MUSLIMS
President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo of Indonesia has once again listed among the world’s top 20 most influential Muslim figures according to the 2021 edition of annual publication, The Muslim 500. “The Muslim 500 website has ranked President Jokowi 12th in The Muslim 500: The World’s 500 Most Influential Muslims 2021.” The Muslim 500, published by the Royal Islamic Strategic Studies Centre based in Jordan, ranks individuals based on the significance of their influence or power, be it political, financial or ideological, in making contributions to the Muslim world.
NON-RECOGNITION OF MUSLIM MARRIAGES A RIGHTS VIOLATION
The Supreme Court of Appeal (SCA) of South Africa has upheld a 2018 ruling of the high court in Cape Town which declared non-recognition of Muslim marriages unconstitutional. The court described the non-recognition of these marriages as a “travesty and a violation of the constitutional rights” of women and children in particular. Litigants complained that their marriages were not recognised under the Customary Marriages Act. The president and the justice minister took the high court ruling on appeal to the SCA. Complex and protracted litigation ensued after the NGO Women’s Legal Centre (WLC), which represented the litigants, cross-appealed.
LIBYA’S EASTERN GOVT DISMISSES 35 PARLIAMENTARIANS
Libya’s eastern-based House of Representatives revoked the membership of 35 legislators and referred them to the attorney general. The 35 parliamentarians who have been sacked are accused of “calling for dividing the country and spreading chaos.” Tripoli-based politicians attribute the decision, made by House Speaker Aguila Saleh, to the latter’s fear that attempts to unify the country could result in the election of a new House Speaker. Speculation is mounting about the future of Saleh, who seems to have been the “biggest loser” from the political settlement track. Libyan officials revealed that after parliament is unified, it will work to re-elect a new speaker.
TURKEY TO BE FASTEST-RECOVERING COUNTRY IN TOURISM
Turkey will be the fastest recovering nation next year in the tourism sector, the country’s tourism minister said on December 25. Addressing Turkey’s Innovation Week held virtually by the Turkish Exporters’ Assembly (TIM), Mehmet Nuri Ersoy said the country’s tourism sector will also start to increase rapidly. He said the country performed better than its rivals in 2020 during the pandemic, built trust globally. With the safe tourism certificate program, Turkey took significant measures against the pandemic in the tourism field for protecting both foreign visitors and staff, he recalled.
RECOGNITION FOR PROFESSOR MASOOD WITH VC AWARD
Professor Syed Hasan Masood, an alumnus of Aligarh Muslim University in India, currently working at Swinburne University of Technology, Melbourne, has been honoured with a Vice Chancellor’s Lifetime Achievement Award in the university’s annual ceremony. Ranked among top 2% of scientists in the world, he has also been heavily involved in Muslim community work in Victoria for the last three decades. The award recognises a university staff, who has consistently demonstrated outstanding service. Prof Masood has been working at Swinburne for the past 32 years and has consistently demonstrated excellence and outstanding performance in teaching, research and academic leadership. He has contributed to establishment and proliferation of most successful post graduate (PG) programmes in Advanced Manufacturing at Swinburne since 1993, which attracted a large number of international students to the university.