Excerpts: Islamic self-deception..Gaza ghetto.Islamic Action Front
objectives.20 June 2003
+++ARAB NEWS (Saudi) 20 June '03:"Nothing Prevents A Woman Attaining High
Level of Scholarship"
Adil Salahi
QUOTES FROM TEXT:
"To say that a woman is not allowed to attain a high level of
scholarship is to accuse Islam of discrimination which it does not condone."
"In Islamic history there was a long tradition of woman scholars who
studied up to a very high degree."
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EXCERPTS:
Q.1. I have been told that no woman is allowed to attain a high standard in
Islamic learning so as to give rulings on matters that may be put to her. Is
this true? If so, how can we account for the position of Aishah, the Prophet
's wife, who used to giver rulings on different matters?
N. Siddiqui
A.1. Men and women are equal in God's sight. There are some differences of
what God requires of them in worship, but these are minor and take care of
differences in their make-up or responsibilities.
To say that a woman is not allowed to attain a high level of scholarship is
to accuse Islam of discrimination which it does not condone.
As you say, Aishah was far more learned than many of the Prophet's
companions, and practically more than anyone else in later generations.
In Islamic history there was a long tradition of women scholars who studied
up to a very high degree.
[IMRA:A short, ancient, discontinued tradition?, What is today's
situation?.]
Many of them had their circles in which they taught whoever wished to read
under them. Among their students were some men who attained a high standard.
Imam Ibn Hazm, for example, was taught by several women.
+++JORDAN TIMES 20 June '03:
"Two British MPs compare Gaza to Warsaw's Jewish ghetto in Nazi era"
QUOTES FROM TEXT:
" 'Gaza is the same in nature as the Warsaw ghetto' said
Labour MP Oona King, and a member of the Jewish Council
for Racial Equality."
" 'the government should be acting like Israel was.' "
" 'Palestinians are not being rounded up and put in gas
chambers' "
" 'building a wall around them and that is precisely what the
Israeli government is doing.' "
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FULL TEXT::
LONDON (AFP) - Israel is subjecting Palestinians in the Gaza Strip to the
same suffering endured by Jews in the Warsaw ghetto during the Nazi era, two
British MPs said Thursday on returning from a trip to the Middle East.
"Gaza is the same in nature as the Warsaw ghetto," said Labour MP Oona King,
and a member of the Jewish Council for Racial Equality.
[IMRA: Absolute fantasy. IMRA will contact MP King and inquire as to her
full statement.]
"As a Jewish person I hoped I would never live to see the day I was ashamed
of the actions of the Jewish state," she told a press conference, adding no
government should be acting like Israel was.
But she said Israel's treatment of the Palestinians was "the same in nature,
but not extent."
"There is a very, very big difference. Palestinians are not being rounded up
and put in gas chambers," she cautioned.
[IMRA: Palestinians weren't rounded up an put in 'ghetto'.]
"But what makes it similar is what happened to the Jewish people in that
time, which was the seizing of land, being forced from property, torture and
bureaucracy - control used in a demeaning way over the smallest task.
"On top of that building a wall around them and that is precisely what the
Israeli government is doing. In doing so it is building a political ghetto.
I don't think it can escape that conclusion.
Liberal Democrat MP Jenny Tonge also compared the situation to the Warsaw
ghetto saying the people in the Gaza Strip could not move in and out.
"They can't work, they can't sell anything. There is this gradual squeeze.
... I feel it was an apartheid system and it is certainly getting worse -
the area where the Palestinians live is getting smaller."
In 1940, several months after invading Poland in September 1939, the Nazis
forced some 500,000 Jews into the Warsaw ghetto, surrounding it with a high
wall.
About 100,000 died inside from hunger and disease, and more than 300,000
were sent to death camps, mainly Treblinka in eastern Poland, where they
were killed.
+++JORDAN TIMES 30 June '03:
"Candidates will work to rescind laws deemed 'harmful to democracy' - IAF"
"Elections Law tops list"
By Alia Shukri Hamzeh and Rana Husseini
QUOTES FROM TEXT:
"The Islamic Action Front (IAF), which won 17 seats in the 14th P
arliament, announced Thursday that its deputies would work to recind a
series of temporary laws regarded as harmful to the democratic process."
"The party fielded 30 candidates in the polls, expecting all to win."
" 'We also salute the Iraqi and Palestinian peoples for their struggle
against the Zionists, the Americans and the British' "
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EXCERPTS:
AMMAN - The Islamic Action Front (IAF), which won 17 seats in the 14th
Parliament, announced Thursday that its deputies would work to rescind a
series of temporary laws regarded as harmful to the democratic process.
The party pledged to create a modern and fair elections law, while also
renewing its claims of government violations in last week's general polls.
. . .
... IAF Secretary General Hamza Mansour said the importance of the new
Parliament lies in the fact that it can regain public trust in the Lower
House, dealt heavy blows by the administrative authority.
"Our participation in this year's elections stems from our awareness of the
dangerous period and huge challenges that require every citizen to
contribute in whatever way they can to face challenges internally and
externally," he said.
The party decided to run despite the Elections Law, said Mansour. The law
maintains the one-person, one-vote system, which the group believes clearly
targets their presence. The party fielded 30 candidates in the polls,
expecting all to win.
But according to the IAF leadership, authorities "summoned several people
for interrogation and attempted to direct voters to candidates other than
the IAF."
Mansour also said some citizens were able to obtain IDs several days before
the elections - after the specified time for doing so. There were also
instances where IDs were used for voting that did not include the district
imprint on the card, he added.
. . .
The party official also claimed that hundreds of election cards were forged
for a candidate in Karak. The case was referred to the authorities. ...
. . .
Interior Minister Qaftan Majali denied accusations of vote rigging or
violations Wednesday, saying a number of citizens that attempted poll fraud
were in custody. The process was smooth and transparent, except for a few
violations that were dealt with, he added.
Government officials played down IAF claims that the party was undermined,
pointing out that front hawks won seats, such as Ali Abul Sukkar - former
head of the dissolved professional associations anti-normalisation
committee - and Ali Atoum, proving there were no attempts.
The party also complained of vote buying, saying the government did not
react properly to open attempts of corruption.
But despite all this, Mansour said his party had brought in 139,139 votes,
representing a 40,000-vote increase compared to the 1993 elections.
"This is a reflection of the people's trust in us and that Islam is the
solution. We also salute the Iraqi and Palestinian peoples for their
struggle against the Zionists, the Americans and the British," he added.
Dr. Joseph Lerner, Co-Director IMRA
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