The Quran on War, peace and Justice

Current events in Afghanistan are related to US foreign policy and international politics. But for some reason, a number of people are looking into religion for answers, specifically Islam. Many people are turning to the Quran. Unfortunately, this has led many to misunderstand a number of verses about the Islamic conduct of war. Below is a clear explanation that can help clarify misconceptions.

When it comes to the Islamic conduct of war, some of the verses of the Quran that have often been quoted by non-Muslims to “prove” Islam promotes violence and bloodshed are found in Surah 2 verses 190-194:

2.190. Fight against those who fight against you in the way of Allah, but do not transgress, for Allah does not love transgressors.

2.191. Kill them whenever you confront them and drive them out from where they drove you out. (For though killing is sinful) wrongful persecution is even worse than killing. Do not fight against them near the Holy Mosque unless they fight against you; but if they fight against you kill them, for that is the reward of such unbelievers.

2.192. Then if they desist, know well that Allah is Ever-Forgiving, Most Compassionate.

2.193. Keep on fighting against them until mischief ends and the way prescribed by Allah prevails. But if they desist, then know that hostility is only against the wrong-doers.

2.194. The sacred month for the sacred month; sanctities should be respected alike ( by all concerned). Thus, if someone has attacked you, attack him just as he attacked you, and fear Allah and remain conscious that Allah is with those who guard against violating the bounds set by Him.

(translation taken from, Towards Understanding the Quran)

The Historic Context and the Nature of the Holy Quran

The Holy Quran comprises of revelations from God to Prophet Muhammad over a period of twenty three years (610 C.E. – 632 C.E.). The first 13 years of the prophethood of Muhammad were at his hometown of Makkah (Mecca), where he and his fellow Muslims were severely persecuted by the pagans of Makkah. During that time, Muslims were not ordered to fight back, but bear the persecutions. Finally, God ordered the Prophet and his fellow Muslims (known as Sahabah) to emigrate to the city of Madinah, about 400 kilometers away.

This emigration, known as the Hijrah, marked the beginning of an Islamic society in Madinah, in which the Prophet became the head of the state. It was not long before the polytheists of Makkah marched towards Madinah to wage war against Muslims and destroy the Islamic state of Madinah. This battle is known as the Battle of Badr. The verses 2.190-2.194, above were perhaps the first injunctions from God to Muslims to prepare themselves for fighting. It was obviously a war in the defense of their homeland and their Faith.

In verse 2.190, God instructs Muslims to fight back, but not to transgress, and remain just even during the battle. “They are told that material interests should not be the motivation for their fighting, that they should not take up arms against those were not in opposition to the true faith, that they should not resort to unscrupulous methods or to the indiscriminate killing and pillage which characterized the other wars. The excesses alluded to in this verse are acts such as taking up arms against women and children, the old and the injured, mutilation of the dead bodies of the enemy, uncalled for devastation through the destruction of fields and livestock, and other similar acts of injustice and brutality.

The Prophet prohibited all these acts. The real intent of the verse is to stress that force should be used only when its use is unavoidable, and only to the extent that is absolutely necessary.” (see note 201, page 151, Towards Understanding the Quran, Volume 1)

Commentary on verse 2.192:

God, in whom the believers have faith, is forgiving and ready to pardon even the worst criminals and sinners after they have renounced their arrogant defiance towards Him. It is suggested that this attribute of God should be reflected in the behavior of the believers as well. Hence, whenever the believers have to resort to armed conflict, they should do so not for the sake of quenching their thirst for vengeance but in the just cause of their defense. Their conflict with any group should last only as long as that group is fighting them. As soon as it gives up this fight the hostility should cease. (see (note 203, page 152, as above.)

It should be emphasized that so many revelations in the Holy Quran came down to provide guidance to Prophet Muhammad and the Muslims based on what they were confronting at that time. Therefore, it is important to understand and know the historic context of the revelations for a proper understanding of these verses.

The Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him, was the peace maker of his time. He endured torture, hunger and the killing of his loved ones by his enemies, but he remained a merciful person. In his most startling conquest of Makkah only four people died. In his 23 years of struggle for Islam, the total number of people who lost their lives from all sides was less than 2,000 in wars that were imposed on him and the Muslim community.

(www.whyislamtrue.com / 02.08.2012)

Turkish food aid arrives in Gaza

Seventy percent of Palestinians in Gaza are dependent on UNRWA.

BETHLEHEM (Ma’an) — A shipment of flour from Turkey arrived in the Gaza Strip on Thursday, a statement from the United Nations agency for Palestinian refugees said.The first shipment from Turkey will feed more than 129,000 families supporting 687,000 dependents. Around 12,500 metric tonnes of wheat flour worth $6.6 million will arrive in Gaza over the next eight weeks.

“The need for this aid is clear with food insecurity currently threatening 60 percent of Gazans,” saidFilippo Grandi, commissioner-general of the Palestine refugee agency UNRWA.

“Turkey’s support for UNRWA is a reflection of our support for Palestine refugees, especially those living in the impoverished Gaza Strip,” said Sakir Ozkan Torunlar, consul general of Turkey in Jerusalem.

“We are committed to aiding the international effort to help them achieve a decent standard of living despite the difficult circumstances under which they live.”

Since Israel tightened the blockade on Gaza in 2007 unemployment has skyrocketed as imports and job opportunities decreased, UNRWA said.

Around 34 percent of Gazans are unemployed and 70 percent of refugees are reliant on UNRWA aid, the agency added.

(www.ikners.com / 02.08.2012)

Facts About UMMA Community Clinic

Opened in 1996, The UMMA Community Clinic is the first independent, free, clinic started by Muslim physicians in America. UMMA serves the underserved community in Los Angeles, providing free/low-cost primary care medical services such as immunizations, physical examinations, gynecology and HIV/AIDS testing. Beyond medical care, the clinic sponsors health fairs, food and clothing distributions, public health seminars, and in the future, tutoring for area children.

UMMA envisions itself as part of a larger network of institutions addressing the health and well being of the underserved and indigent, mindful of the cultural, spiritual, social and economic realities that impinge upon them and the traditional barriers to accessing care.

Quick facts:

• UMMA has served over 20,000 patients since its inception
  

• 98% of UMMA patients live below poverty
• 96% of UMMA patients are minority group members.
• Patient diversity includes 52% Latino, 40% African-American, 2%white and 5% Asian Pacific, Islander

Highlight of Services:

• Childhood Immunizations
• Semi-annual health fairs
• HIV testing
• Specialty clinics for ophthalmology, gynecology, dermatology and teens
• On-site laboratory providing a full range of lab tests
• Direct referrals to local county medical facilities

Awards/Recognition:

• Earned Best Practice Award from the Department of Housing Development
• Awarded Outstanding Volunteer organization by the National Philanthropy Day
• Received coveted fully Federally Qualified Health Center Status

(www.muslimadvocates.org / 02.08.2012)

Syria insurgents shell Palestinian refugee camp in Damascus

Insurgents have targeted a Palestinian refugee camp in Damascus, as the security forces are engaged in clearing the countryside of the capital of the insurgents.

The Yarmook refugee camp on Thursday came under mortar fire from the insurgents who have been fighting against the government of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

The attack was the latest in the unrelenting wave of violence by the insurgents in Syria.

(www.presstv.ir / 02.08.2012)

How to deal with Zionism: Oppose, Expose, Dispose ~ by @docjazzmusic

By Dr. Tariq Shadid – Now that the ‘Oslo peace process’ is clinically dead, the struggle of the Palestinian people is finding its way back to its original purpose: opposing the inherently racist power structure of Zionism. In terms of strategic approach this can be summarized in the ‘three poses against Zionism’: oppose, expose and dispose.

 

From politicians to people

The 21st century has seen a steady growth of grassroots support for the Palestinian cause in the international community. No other cause in recent history has proved capable of causing masses of ordinary citizens to show such determination and dedication as they have been doing in large-scale worldwide campaigns such as the various Freedom Flotillas, the BDS (Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions) campaign, social media activism, and many other forms of resistance.

As the support of ordinary citizens grew, the engagement of politicians worldwide declined at an equal pace. When the ‘two-state solution’ dynamics lost their appeal by failing to produce any tangible results on the ground, the incentive for public figures and politicians to portray themselves as ‘saviours” and ‘peace doves’ reaching out to ‘both sides’ diminished, especially in Western countries. Other issues moved up on the priority lists of their agendas, and the Palestinian issue was moved down on it.

 

‘Progressive’ Zionism is still Zionism

The main ideological motor – from a Western perspective – for creating a body of support among Western populations for an Oslo-style ‘Peace of the Brave’ drew its fuel mostly from the rhetoric of ‘progressive’ and ‘left wing’ Zionists. The essential purpose of this drive was to make sure that 1948-confiscated territories of Palestine were firmly recognized (not only on a political level, but in public perception) as the state of ‘Israel’. Nakba-denial is an essential ingredient of  this approach, and is still deeply entrenched in the views of many people in the West. It is even widespread among those who actively oppose the occupation of 1967-acquired territories of Palestine. After all, denial of the Nakba is closely interwoven with opposition to the Right of Return of 1948 Palestinian refugees to their homeland.

There is hardly any need for quotes on these matters, since ‘progressive’ Zionists barely ever hide the fact that their motivation for opposing the 1967 occupation is based on their urge to preserve the Zionist occupation of 1948, which in their own terminology is called the state of ‘Israel’. To provide an example nonetheless, the mission statement of EAJG (Een Ander Joods Geluid), the Dutch branch of ‘A Different Jewish Voice’, formulates it as such:  “… an organization that, because of its dedication to Israel, aims to encourage the political and critical debate about Israel and Palestine.” This statement was translated from Dutch, from the profile of their Twitter-account.

 

World Bank: nail in the coffin

It could have been argued simply from looking at the changes in the map of Israeli control of Palestine, that no two state solution can ever be successfully brought about through negotiations, if ‘Israel’ at the same time is allowed to engage in its ongoing brazen expansionism. This has been going on all the time: from 1993 when the so-called ‘Peace Process’ was started, ‘Israel’ has managed to triple its settler population in the West Bank and East Jerusalem. Recent damning statements from the World Bank, indicating that no viable state can be set up in the Palestinian territories under the current circumstances, have brought even the ever-optimistic Prime Minister of the ‘Palestinian Authority’, Salam Fayyad, to despair. In aninterview with The Independent, published on July 26th, he stated: “The cause of the Palestinians has never been more marginalized than it is today”.

This dire situation is strongly indicative of developments we have been seeing in the past years: even though the PA was set up as an instrument to control the Palestinian population living under occupation, under the pretext of laying the basis for a future Palestinian state, superpowers today are showing little to no interest in actually making this happen. To the Zionists and their supporters, it suffices that the PA engages in policing the Palestinians, and allowing the Israeli army and intelligence to raid Palestinian homes throughout the territory at will. These raids and arrests are, without exaggeration, a daily occurrence. The only reason that Western powers are not labeling the PA as a ‘sinking ship’ just yet, appears to be that they are not yet ready to have it give up its role of policing the Palestinians living under Israeli occupation.

 

Making up the balance

In other words, the so-called Peace Process, a phantom from its very inception, is dead, buried and gone. Is this a shock to the progressive Zionists who were propagating it? Hardly, since their main goal, the preservation of the state of ‘Israel’, remains untouched by these events. If you have any doubts about these seemingly bold statements, go ahead and perform some litmus tests. Ask them about the Right of Return of the Palestinians, and you will not get a straightforward message of support for it. Ask them what should be the future of Ma’ale Adumim, and you will not get a short answer (except perhaps in some instances, stating that Ma’ale Adumim should be maintained). Also, ask them what should happen to occupied East Jerusalem. Be very aware not to confuse these groups with those of anti-Zionist Jews, who do not share their views, although their numbers are hardly of any major significance in today’s political spectrum.

Is the demise of the two-state solution a shock to the Palestinians? To many of them, it is. Having bargained on hopes based on false promises, having nurtured genuine expectations of seeing an independent Palestinian state rise from the ashes of occupation, to many of them such a disillusion is quite a bitter pill to swallow. It would however be wrong to assume that the vast majority of Palestinians living under Israeli occupation were so gullible that they did not see through the charade from the beginning. Before Oslo, barely anyone was a ‘two-stater’: the overwhelming majority of Palestinians knew that Zionism is the racist power structure that they are up against, destructive in all of its forms, and not a trustworthy ‘partner’ in any type of negotiations. The most likely result of the treacherous manner in which the West is helping ‘Israel’ to wrap up the ‘two-state dream’, is that Palestinians will pick up the struggle where it was left off, namely as a struggle against the racist ideology of Zionism, and against its adherents.

Anti-Zionism: oppose, expose, dispose

Of course, this is already happening. Even grass-roots supporters of the Palestinian cause in the West are abandoning the Zionist-fed tenets of the two-state fallacy. You can see it in the rhetoric of BDS-activists, you can see it in the growing world-wide support for Nakba commemorations,  and you can see it in the way that people are starting to realize that the relevant history of the Palestinian struggle did not start in 1993, nor in 1967, but before 1948.

There is a fresh new wind blowing in the ranks of Palestine supporters all over the world. Less and less people are turning towards ‘leftist’ and ‘progressive’ Zionists to learn about the struggle of the Palestinians: they are discovering that there are hundreds of Palestinian writers, speakers and debaters who are worth listening to. Social media like Twitter and Facebook have played a crucial role in emancipating the voices of these Palestinians and bringing them close to their Western counterparts. Activists worldwide are no longer mindlessly gobbling up the works of Uri Avnery, Gideon Levy and Michael Warschawski; they are digging into Palestinian culture, and exploring its richness, its undeniable identity, and its refreshing diversity. Projects like ‘Beyond Compromise‘ play an important role in empowering Palestinian voices, and their message is reaching the hearts and minds of Western pro-Palestine activists.

There is, and there will always be, a struggle against racism in this world. One of the most powerful forms of institutionalized racism alive today is Zionism. Its main targets are the Palestinians, and they are claiming a leading role in the struggle against it. As time goes by, this message is being heard by activists in the West, and colonialist-style paternalist attitudes that echo the words of ‘progressive Zionists’ in dictating to the Palestinians how to define their goals and wage their struggle, are making way for true and genuine solidarity. They are moving away from seeing the Palestinians as a problem for ‘Israel’, towards seeing that Zionism – embodied by its racist militaristic state – is the real problem. Together with the Palestinians, they are focusing their aims on Zionism: to oppose it and expose it, until it can be disposed of. Racist systems have a habit of falling out of grace over time, and in the case of ‘Israel’, this is definitely happening.

(occupiedpalestine.wordpress.com / 02.08.2012)

Un juge français demande à Scotland Yard d’arrêter le général Hosni Benslimane

Le juge français Patrick Ramaël, chargé de l’enquête Ben Barka, a alerté mardi les autorités britanniques de la possible présence à Londres d général Hosni Benslimane, président du Comité national olympique marocain (CNOM) qu’il souhaite interroger.

Les autorités britanniques ont confirmé officieusement la présence de M. Benslimane à Londres, où il aurait été accrédité pour les Jeux olympiques. Comme l’avait révélé Demain il y a quelques jours.

Le juge Patrick Ramaël avait délivré en 2007 un mandat d’arrêt international contre M. Benslimane et trois autres anciens militaires marocains, dans le cadre de son enquête sur la disparition en 1965 à Paris de l’opposant au roi Hassan II, Mehdi Ben Barka. En raison notamment de l’opposition du parquet et d’Interpol, ce mandat d’arrêt n’est plus exécutoire depuis 2009, a affirmé une source judiciaire.

M. Benslimane, 77 ans, est recherché depuis « au moins une dizaine d’années » par la justice française, qui le soupçonne d’avoir pris part à la préparation de l’enlèvement de Mehdi Ben Barka à Paris en 1965, a précisé cette source. Il était alors capitaine dans l’armée marocaine. Il est devenu ensuite chef de la gendarmerie royale marocaine.

Malgré l’avis contraire du parquet, un mandat d’arrêt international a été lancé contre lui en 2007 par le juge Patrick Ramaël. Deux ans plus tard, le ministère de la justice, suivant les demandes d’Interpol et du parquet, avait décidé de cesser la diffusion des mandats d’arrêt, les privant de tout effet, selon la source judiciaire. Le procureur de la République de l’époque, Jean-Claude Marin, une créature de l’ancien président français Nicolas Sarkozy, avait estimé, ou plutôt on le lui avait fait « estimer », que les charges contre les quatre personnes n’étaient pas suffisamment détaillées dans le mandat d’arrêt.

Fin mai 2009, alors que M. Benslimane séjournait en Espagne, le juge Ramaël avait déjà demandé aux autorités espagnoles de l’interpeller mais s’était heurté à une fin de non-recevoir du président « démocrate » du gouvernement espagnol José Luis Rodriguez Zapatero, un politicien qui provient de la même idéologie socialiste que Ben Barka. Ya hasra ! 

Figure du tiers-mondisme, Mehdi Ben Barka a disparu le 29 octobre 1965 à Paris lors d’une opération menée par les servicesmarocains avec la complicité de policiers et de truands français. L’affaire n’a jamais été totalement élucidée. Le corps de Ben Barka n’a jamais été découvert.

Reste maintenant la réponse que doit donner Scotland Yard au juge Ramaël. Va-t-il faire comme pour Pinochet et arrêter ce monsieur recherché par la justice française ou bien il va faire semblant de voir ailleurs ?

Les prochains jours nous donneront une réponse.

(www.demainonline.com / 02.08.2012)

Defense minister symbol of Syria’s brutal war

Fahad al-Freij is sworn in as Defense Minister by Syrian President Bashar Assad in Damascus.

BEIRUT (Reuters) — When Sunni officer Fahed al-Freij was promoted to replace Syria’s defense minister, slain in a bomb attack two weeks ago, few people paid much attention and rebels dismissed him as inconsequential.

But Lebanese officials close to the Syrian government said his appointment was a clear indication that President Bashar Assad, taken aback by the assassination of four of his top security officials, had decided to respond savagely.

They said Freij, a staunch Assad supporter, was known for brutality and shoot-to-kill tactics.

Upon his appointment he gave orders to “wipe out” the rebels. “Even if it is my father who is carrying weapons against Syria, treat him as a traitor and kill him,” pro-Assad websites quoted him as telling soldiers on the night of his appointment.

Freij, born in 1950, comes from the Hadeedy tribe from a village in Hama province, which saw the worst violence under Bashar’s father, President Hafez Assad, who sent troops in the 1980s to crush an armed Islamist revolt against his rule.

In his appointment speech hours after the bombing, Freij looked determined to fight back. Instead of ceremonial uniform he wore dark green fighting colors and a frown on his face, vowing to go on the offensive as he mourned the slain officials.

Unlike his late predecessor Daoud Rajha, who kept a low profile, Freij has issued several statements urging the soldiers to fight.

“Brothers in arms and doctrine, the Syrian people have put their trust in you and it is well deserved … Your battle is the battle of right against wrong,” he said in his latest speech on Wednesday, Syria’s armed forces day.

“Terminate them (the rebels) wherever you find them.”

Soon after his appointment, rebels were celebrating the capture of several districts in the capital, part of an operation they called ‘Damascus volcano’, and parts of Aleppo and border crossings with Turkey and Iraq.

But Freij turned the tables. Right after he took over, the Syrian army launched a major offensive in Damascus, recapturing the central Midan district from rebels before moving to other rebel strongholds like Hajar al-Aswad.

For the first time since the 17-month-old revolt against Assad started, the military used fighter jets to strafe rebel areas in Rastan, Deraa and Aleppo.

On Sunday the government declared victory in a hard-fought battle for Syria’s capital, and pounded rebels who control parts of its largest city Aleppo. Government forces are now massing around Aleppo for another “decisive battle.”

‘Burn them’

Rebels seems to have changed their opinion of Freij.

“We did not know who he was at first. We have checked now. He is a Bedouin from Hama, commander of the operations (to crush opposition in) Deraa and Homs during the revolution,” said a rebel commander in Damascus.

“He is a military officer one hundred percent. He is…known to be savage. He is known since he was a student in the military college as tough and firm,” he added.

Last year the army crushed Deraa, the cradle of revolt against Assad and a major attack on Homs left the city in in ruins and almost empty.

A Lebanese security source described Freij as solid with a ruthless personality.

“Before when a bullet was fired (by rebels) the orders were given to cut the electricity from that area and go after the rebels but with this man the orders are different — burn them,” said a Lebanese official close to the Syrian government.

But the rebels are now better equipped and determined to fight back. A group of gunmen posted a Youtube video after his appointment saying that his tribe disavow him and that he will be their target .

“We inform him that he will be our coming target … we tell him that victory is coming. God is Greatest.”

(www.maannews.net / 02.08.2012)

China verbiedt moslimbevolking om te vasten

China heeft de Oeigoeren – de moslimbevolking – in het land gedurende de maand Ramadan nieuwe beperkingen opgelegd. Moslimambtenaren en studenten in de noordwestelijke regio Xinjiang is het vasten verboden.

‘De provinciale staten hebben deze redelijke maatregelen genomen om de sociale stabiliteit in de Ramadanperiode te bewaken,’ zo is te lezen in een communiqué vanuit de provinciehoofdstad Zonglang, meldde Agence France-Presse (AFP) gisteren. ‘Het is de kaders van de Communistische Partij, de ambtenaren, inclusief degenen die met pensioen zijn en de studenten verboden deel te nemen aan religieuze activiteiten in de Ramadan.’

De uitspraak die op de website van de provincie Xinjiang werd gepubliceerd, zette partijleden ertoe aan voedsel naar de lokale dorpshoofden te brengen om zich er van te verzekeren dat ze zouden eten gedurende de Ramadan.

Gelijksoortige decreten om de moslims in toom te houden werden op andere lokale overheidswebsites gepubliceerd. Op de website van het educatief bureau van de provincie Wensu werden scholen opgeroepen om studenten te verhinderen naar de moskee te gaan in de Ramadan.

De Ramadan startte in China op 20 juli. De decreten werden op verschillende tijden uitgevaardigd, sommige voor en sommige tijdens de Ramadan. De nieuwe restricties kwamen tegelijkertijd met de waarschuwing voor nieuwe onrust in de provincie met een moslimmeerderheid. De Oeigoeren vormen in China een Turkssprekende minderheid van 10 miljoen mensen.

“Door het vasten tijdens de Ramadan te verbieden, gebruikt China administratieve methoden om de Oeigoeren te dwingen om het vasten te verbreken” maakt woordvoerder Dilshat Rexit van het Wereld Oeigoeren Congres duidelijk in een verklaring. Hij waarschuwde ervoor dat de beperkingen mogelijk zouden leiden tot een groter verzet van de Oeigoer-bevolking tegenover de Chinese overheersing.

Xingjiang maakte de laatste etnische golf van geweld in juli 2009 mee, toen Oeigoeren leden van de dominerend Han-bevolking in de stad Urumqi aanvielen. In de dagen erop gingen Hanleden de straat op om wraak te nemen waardoor het ergste geweld ontstond dat China in tientallen jaren had meegemaakt. De onrusten leidden toen tot 200 doden en 1700 gewonden volgens officiële cijfers van de regering, maar de Oeigoeren reppen van een veel hogere tol, met name onder hun eigen bevolking. De Chinese autoriteiten hadden destijds 200 mensen gearresteerd, voornamelijk Oeigoeren en 26 van hen werden ter dood veroordeeld.

De provincie Xinjiang is autonoom sinds 1955 maar de Chinese regering neemt tot vandaag de dag allerlei veiligheidsmaatregelen. Mensenrechtengroeperingen beschuldigen de Chinese autoriteiten ervan dat ze de repressies tegen de Oeigoeren nemen uit naam van terrorismebestrijding.

De moslims beschuldigen de regering ervan dat ze de Han naar de regio brengen om ervoor te zorgen dat hun identiteit en cultuur gaat overheersen. Analisten bevestigen dat het aantal inwoners met een Han-afkomst vanaf 1940 van 5 procent naar 40 procent is gestegen.

Beijing ziet de grote regio van onschatbare waarde vanwege zijn strategische ligging nabij Centraal-Azië en zijn grote olie- en gasreserves.

(www.moslimvandaag.nl / 02.08.2012)

Iranian tankers return to buy Syrian crude

LONDON (Reuters) — Iran has become Syria’s main crude oil buyer, helping Bashar Assad’s flailing government to circumvent Western sanctions, as Iranian tankers have returned for a third time since April, shipping industry sources said.

Although Tehran already finds it difficult to sell its own crude under sanctions, two of its ships picked up Syrian oil late in July following a smaller purchase at the start of the same month.

Asia is the likely destination for the Syrian oil but the sources said it remained unclear where the previous cargoes ended up.

Iran sells its own crude to only a handful of buyers compared to its previous client list. China, India, Japan, Turkey have still been buying after overcoming shipping obstacles and South Korea will probably resume next month.

The MT Tour and MT Amin, two tankers under the flag of Sierra Leone and owned by Islamic Republic of Iran Shipping Lines, which is under United Nations sanctions, lifted around 140,000 tonnes each of Syrian Heavy crude from the Syrian port of Tartous in the last few days of July.

The Tour is now moving through the Suez Canal and heading to the Gulf of Oman while the Amin is still in the Mediterranean, ship tracking data showed, and is heading to the Arab Gulf, according to a shipping source.

The European Union and the United States imposed oil sanctions against Syria last year in an effort to put pressure on Assad’s administration by cutting vital oil product imports and revenues from oil sales.

Protests inspired by the Arab Spring movement, which began last year, have developed into civil war as Assad’s crackdown on opposition continues.

Syria was still able to import oil products from Russia and cooking gas from Greece but tightening sanctions cut off those avenues in April.

The government now seems heavily reliant on Iran, itself under sanctions by the EU and US over its nuclear ambitions. Syria is also Iran’s top destination for arms sales, according to the United Nations.

Earlier this year, the Tour, laden with Syrian crude, was headed for Singapore but turned back and dropped anchor at the Bandar Abbas port in Iran.

At the beginning of July, the Amin loaded a combination cargo of Syrian Light and Heavy at Tartous and Banias and another Iranian tanker, the Alvan, discharged around 30,000 tonnes of Iranian diesel — or gasoil as it is known in the industry — in exchange for gasoline, which then returned to Iran at the port of Bandar Abbas.

(www.maannews.net / 02.08.2012)

‘Vrije moslima’s zullen door shariarechtbank als zondaressen worden gezien’

Aan de hand van hun moeder lopen twee meisjes naar het schoolplein van de John F. Kennedyschool in Dordrecht.

Voordat een shariarechtbank in Nederland wordt toegestaan, moeten moslima’s hun progressieve islam-uitleg eerst algemeen erkend krijgen. Dat betogen Nora Kasrioui en Nadia Martosatimna-Laiti.

• Moslima’s met vriendje worden al gauw als overspelig gezien

De discussie over de sharia is de laatste weken weer opgelaaid in de media, maar daarbij blijven een aantal cruciale punten nog onderbelicht. Bijvoorbeeld dat de emancipatie onder moslima’s zeker zal stagneren wanneer er ook in Nederland een shariarechtbank geïntroduceerd wordt.

Zo’n college, dat gedomineerd wordt door orthodoxe mannen, zal beslist niet in het voordeel van de progressieve moslima’s zijn. De kans dat deze rechters zullen kiezen voor een conservatieve versie van het islamitisch recht, die maar al te vaak zonder meer geassocieerd wordt met de ware islam, is zeker aanwezig. De óók bestaande liberale visie, met bijvoorbeeld het recht van vrouwen op een eigen partnerkeuze, op werk en onderwijs en eigen bezittingen zal dan verwaarloosd worden.

Conservatieve mannen hebben immers geen enkel belang bij zo’n liberale uitleg en zullen hun eigen positie willen behouden. Maar hoe zullen zij ooit echt recht kunnen spreken als zij bij een geschil zowel rechter als partij zijn?

Zondaressen
Nederland kent een groot aantal progressieve moslima’s. Voor de levenswijze van deze groep moslima’s zal bij zulke traditionele shariarechtbanken vast geen enkel begrip bestaan. Vrijgevochten vrouwen zullen als onruststooksters en zondaressen worden gezien, die de Koran niet eerbiedigen.

Een vrouw die zonder hoofddoek voor zo’n rechtbank verschijnt, zal bij voorbaat al anders bekeken worden dan een vrouw mét een hoofddoek. En moslima’s die daten of zelfs al een vriendje hebben, zullen al gauw zonder meer als overspelige vrouwen worden beschouwd. Als zulke vrouwen bij een juridisch conflict betrokken raken, is de kans dus heel groot dat zij in allerlei gevallen zonder meer aan het kortste eind zullen trekken.

Hoe zou een moslima trouwens ooit voor haar eigen rechten kunnen opkomen als het orthodoxe standpunt is dat de man altijd de voogd van de vrouw is?

Kans
Een autonoom denkende moslima kan besluiten een shariarechtbank niet te erkennen. Toch bestaat de kans dat zij ook dan op z’n minst veel last zal hebben van de plechtige uitspraken daarvan. Mensen in haar omgeving zullen immers vinden dat zij het niet kan maken zich daar niets van aan te trekken.

Bovendien bezit zo’n vonnis in islamitische landen zonder meer rechtsgeldigheid en kunnen uit Nederland of andere westerse landen afkomstige moslima’s daar dus altijd op aangesproken worden.
Het islamitisch recht bestrijkt het hele menselijk bestaan. Het is in die zin normatief, dat het ook bepaalt hoe individuen hun leven het beste in kunnen richten. Dit in tegenstelling tot het Nederlandse recht, waarin het vooral draait om de bescherming van mensen en hun bezit.

Een Nederlandse rechter zal, zolang je elkaar niet beschadigt, geen uitspraken doen over de vraag hoe je jouw leven achter de voordeur moet inrichten. Islamitische rechtsgeleerden hebben daar echter wel degelijk een opvatting over. Zo kan een man zich er bijvoorbeeld met succes over beklagen dat zijn vrouw niet goed voor hem en zijn bezittingen zorgt, om nog maar niet te spreken van zaken waarbij seks en voortplanting in het geding zijn. In het Nederlandse recht is zoiets ondenkbaar.

Informeel
Voordat een shariarechtbank in Nederland toegestaan wordt, zouden moslima’s er eerst voor moeten zorgen dat hun progressieve uitleg binnen de islam algemeen erkend wordt, inclusief de daarbij behorende rechten. Evenals bij de eerste en de tweede feministische golf zullen die echter eerst informeel bevochten en erkend moeten worden.

Wat in de discussie over de komst van islamitische rechtbanken ook opvalt, is dat er vaak wordt gesproken over bijvoorbeeld de islamitische gemeenschap of de Marokkaanse gemeenschap. Er bestaat in Nederland echter geen samenhangende islamitische gemeenschap en geen samenhangende Marokkaanse gemeenschap met een centraal gezag en een leidersfiguur. Er zijn alleen bepaalde groepen mensen die op grond van hun herkomst op vrijwillige basis contact met elkaar hebben. Binnen dergelijke groepen groeit gelukkig ook het besef dat traditionele normen en waarden in de loop van de tijd kunnen veranderen en dat dat dan met recht vaak vooruitgang wordt genoemd.

^{Nora Kasrioui is auteur en verbonden aan vrouwenrechtenorganisatie Brood en Rozen enNadia Martosatimna-Laiti is voorzitter van Darna Asila dat strijdt tegen geweld tegen vrouwen in Marokko.}

(www.volkskrant.nl / 02.08.2012)