“Diapers cost a lot,” said my friend, when we met on her visit to her home country five months after she had her first baby. She looked into my eyes, searching for acquiescence,”….right?” As our children lay playing around us, I nodded, and stopped myself in time from insensitively blurting out, “But this is just the beginning”. I knew how inappropriate that would sound to a new mother who was assessing the extra expenses related to her baby for the first time in her life. Understandably, she was going through the initial adjustment phase of becoming a new parent, and needed only encouragement from her experienced friends.

We all have our expenses: the bills, the monthly payments, and the extra expenditures that crop up out of nowhere, especially for those of us who have families to support, viz. parents and siblings, or spouses and children.

Shortly after we pass the two-decade milestone in our lives, we wake up to real life, and realize that it is not all eat, drink, and be merry. For some, this wakeup call comes much earlier due to straitened circumstances. For others, it might come a bit late – when they finally start shouldering more responsibility.

Either way, one inevitably realizes sooner or later in life that money is the life-blood we need to be able to keep bringing food to our tables, and that this money is earned through hard work. We should neither waste it on frivolities, nor should we withhold it from ourselves or others out of miserliness.

Additionally, we should never undermine the relationships we have with our families, because these bonds were created by Allah, and He records and rewards even the small, seemingly insignificant bits of good we do to them – even what we see as trivial, of the things we give them, that are included in their rights upon us.

Recently, I came across a hadith that really opened my eyes to how we should all look at our family-related expenses and liabilities. It also reminded me of the importance of one’s intention whilst doing mundane, everyday tasks that we really don’t view as acts of worship, such as buying one’s child a small toy, or going out for the weekly grocery run.

[أخرجه أحمد، والبخاري ، ومسلم]

It is narrated from Abu Mas’ud al-Badri [رضى الله عنه] that the Messenger of Allah [صلى الله عليه و سلم] said,

“Without a doubt, when a Muslim spends money on his family while considering (the action as worship), it is an act of charity”.

[Reported by Imams Ahmad, Bukhari and Muslim]

This short but profound narration gives us tremendous consolation: if we renew and rectify our intentions regarding spending on our family, to do so for the sake of Allah as an act of sadaqah (charity), Allah will count these expenditures as such, insha’ Allah.

The key words in the hadith are وَهُوَ يَحْتَسِبُهَا - meaning that the spender, whilst spending on his or her family should, in his heart, intend or consider that spending as a sadaqah. The words احتَسَبَ يَحْتَسِبُ اِحْتِسَابٌ imply to reckon something, to seek reward from Allah for something, to count something as eligible for  reward. In a verse of Surah at-Talaq, Allah mentions:

وَيَرْزُقْهُ مِنْ حَيْثُ لَا يَحْتَسِبُ

“And He (Allah) will provide for him (the believer) from where he does not expect/reckon; (from whence does not occur to his mind).” [65:3]

In the above verse, the same word is used to imply that the believer doesn’t “reckon” from where Allah will provide for him.

Therefore, we can conclude from the above hadith that we should “count” or “reckon” our spending (نفقة) on our families (اهل) as charity (صدقة) when we spend on them in any way, whether big or small.

We find ourselves inundated by extra expenses during some months of the year. This is especially so around vacation season, with the costly Islamic summer camp, the plane tickets required for importing parent(s) for the summer, or the shiny new workbooks to keep the children constructively occupied. We dread receiving the doctor’s bill and having to fill costly medicine prescription, upon taking a sick dependent to the doctor’s clinic. And we anticipate with some foreboding, magnanimous four-figure bills, as our children grow older and prepare for college.

Graduation parties, Eid dinners, transatlantic flights to reinstate biological ties and bring smiles across elderly faces. School fees, fuel and rent charges, furniture and electronics costs. Clothes and accessories, a mini van, a bigger home for growing broods. The list is endless. Sometimes, when we see no end to the costs in sight, yet almost always come face-to-face with the rock-bottom of our monthly/weekly budget, we do tend to get a bit down in the dumps.  That is the time when we need positive reminders that our spending, depending on our intention, will be counted as a charity, even through we’ve seen it as an “expense”.

There is absolutely no way that we can guarantee provisions for the ones whom Allah has brought into this world, as He is the Provider. However, He has entrusted us with fulfilling our responsibilities towards them, and these duties are their rights upon us.

We should keep reminding ourselves of the intention behind each and every thing we do. This will enable us to renew this intention, and hence ensure that our book of deeds records all our actions, even those that appear to the world as “expenses” or “liabilities”, as deeds truly done to please our Creator (with full اِحْتِسَاب).

If you’ve been following Hijab Style on Twitter, you’ll have been the first to know about a new UK hijab company called Haya which has launched on Facebook! Today, Hijab Style brings you an exclusive interview with the CEO, Shirin Kachchi.

Jana: Do you make any of the hijabs yourself?

Shirin: A few scarves are my own designs which I get tailored; the majority are carefully selected products. My current designs consist of pure fabrics such as 100% silk-chiffons and jersey with contrasting or complementing lace. It’s the colours, material and beautiful lace which give them the edge! Alhumdulillah, the collection has almost sold out and I hope to continue to dabble with design in the future!

Jana: Can you tell us more about your charity initiatives?

Shirin: I wanted to blend my passion for scarves with raising awareness for humanitarian causes so I am beginning my journey by supporting a local charity. As a launch campaign, all the profits from the current collection will be donated to Restless Beings for their Uighur Women’s Rights Campaign in Krygyzstan. My goal is to constantly support charities and campaigns in some way or form, InshAllah Haya can make a small contribution to the lives that need it!

Jana: What else can we expect from Haya?

Shirin: I have big aspirations for Haya, I’m focusing on a few areas I’d like to develop in the future. After the current campaign, I will inshAllah be revealing my new product range, watch this space!

What do you think of Haya? Don’t forget to join their Facebook page to view the full collection and details of how to order. And what’s more, Haya will be sponsoring the Bonus July Giveaway in a few days time too!

Russia: Bride price tripled

The price tag on a bride in Russia’s Ingushetia province has been tripled by the regional government, in a sign the Muslim North Caucasus region is slipping out of Kremlin control as sharia law eclipses Russian.

Against the backdrop of a bubbling Islamist insurgency, the revival of Islam in the North Caucasus following the break-up of the Soviet Union almost 20 years ago has brought sharia law to the region, revered by both rebels and ordinary citizens alike.

This article was prepared by the Islam in Europe blog – islamineurope.blogspot.com

The issue of the ‘kalym’, a price paid by a groom to the family of the woman he chooses to marry, is the latest example of a broader trend that has troubled the Kremlin.

“The increase of the kalym was decided by the residents themselves,” the Kremlin-backed leader of Ingushetia, Yunus-Bek Yevkurov, told Prime Minister Vladimir Putin on Tuesday.

At an Ingush conference for Muslim scholars and elders this week, attended by Yevkurov, the money a groom must pay the bride’s family for her hand was increased from 12,500 roubles (265 pounds) to 40,000 roubles (851 pounds), the local government said on official website.

“It is time to raise the rates, and with them the responsibility of the groom,” a statement on the site said.

(more)

Source: Reuters

UK: Rise in men reporting forced marriages

An increasing number of men are being forced into marriage, a government body revealed Thursday, often because they are gay or bisexual.

The Forced Marriage Unit (FMU) says it received more than 220 emails and calls to its helpline last year about suspected forced marriages involving male victims — up 65 percent from 134 in 2008.

And the figures may be just the tip of the iceberg, experts believe, with many more cases unreported.

This article was prepared by the Islam in Europe blog – islamineurope.blogspot.com

Because the problem is more common among women, the plight of men forced into marriage often goes unheard, ministers said.

Jeremy Browne, Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) minister for consular policy, said: “Although this continues to be an issue affecting both men and women, people often don?t realise that men can be victims of forced marriage too.

“Fourteen percent of the cases handled by the Forced Marriage Unit last year involved men and it’s a problem we are determined to raise awareness about and help communities to address.”

Men may be forced into marriage for a variety of reasons, including to secure visas, control behaviour, or protect a family?s reputation, according to the FMU — a joint initiative between the FCO and Home Office.

However, often there is a link with the man’s sexuality, with gay or bisexual male victims forced into wedlock with a woman because their sexuality is seen to bring shame on the family.

Equalities minister Lynne Featherstone said: “When young men are forced into marrying women it can be because they are gay or bisexual, or their families suspect that they are. This kind of abuse must not be tolerated.

“Adults working with young people need to be alert to young men who may be vulnerable to forced marriage.”

The FMU has received more than 80 reports of men being forced into marriage so far this year, most commonly aged between 15 and 24.

(…)

The majority of cases of forced marriage reported in the UK involve South Asian families but there have been cases involving families from East Asia, the Middle East, Europe and Africa, the FMU report stated.

(more)

Source: AFP

6.1 THE IMPORTANCE OF EATING MANNERS
Eating manners are very important since it is repeated many times every day. It must be done properly whether eating alone, with family, or with friends. To avoid pretenses, you should train yourself in proper eating manners, whether alone or with your family. It will then become a natural part of your behaviour, and you will be at ease at the table.

6.2 THE MANNERS OF EATING
There are certain table manners that are indispensable. Say ‘Bismillah’ when starting, to thank Allah and say ‘Alhamdulilah’ when finished. Eat what is in front of you. Eat using your right hand. A hypocrite was eating with his left hand when the Prophet saw him and advised him to eat with his right. The man falsely said ‘But I cannot’ The Prophet said ‘May it be so’ and the hypocrite was not able to lift his right hand again.

The companions of the Prophet followed his example in stressing the use of the right hand while eating. Omar was Khalifa when he saw a man eating with his left hand and similarly advised him to eat with his right. The man answered ‘My right is busy’ Omar repeated his request and the man repeated his answer. Omar asked him ‘What is it busy with?’ The man answered that it had been severed in one of the battles. Omar blamed himself for neglecting such handicap and ordered the treasurer to provide the man with a servant to help him.

If eating with your hand, use three fingers with small bites, lifting it gently with ease to your mouth. Close your mouth while eating to avoid unnecessary noises. To eat on the floor is nearer to what the Prophet used to do. However, there is no problem to eat at a table. Imam Ghazali said, ‘To eat at a table is to make eating easier and there is nothing against that.’ Do not start eating ahead of the elders or the nobles. If you are the elder, do not commence eating before everyone is at the table.

It is preferred that eating should not be conducted in silence. It is good manners to talk during meals. Topics should be nice stories suitable for eating. At the end of the meal, if hands are to be washed, the elder or the noble should be asked to proceed first.

At the end of a meal, thank Allah as in the Hadith reported by Abo Dawood and Nasa’i in ‘the deeds of day and night.’ Thank Allah who fed us and provided us with drink. It is very appropriate to make a prayer for your hosts as it is reported by Muslim that Al-Migdad ibn Al-Aswad reported that the Prophet said, ‘May Allah feed those who have fed us, and provide drinks to those who provided us with it.’

Do not express your disapproval or dislike of certain foods. Either eat it or pass it over quietly. Abu Huraira reported that ‘the Prophet never expressed his dislike of a food. If he liked it he will eat it. If he disliked it, he will set aside.’

Do not put in your plate more than can eat. Leftovers could be thrown out, it shouldn’t, and wasted. Put smaller portions twice rather than one large portion that you will not eat. The Prophet did not approve of leaving any food in a plate since as he said ‘You don’t know which portion is blessed’. Food is a blessing of Allah, to misuse it is contrary to Islam. Do not forget the poor and the needy who do not have the portion you are throwing away

6.3 THE MANNERS OF DRINKING
Drinking manners are no less important. To start in the name of Allah is a must. Use your right hand to drink. Abo Dawood and Tirmizi related that Hafsa (RA) said ‘the Prophet used his right hand for eating and drinking. He used his left for other things [such as personal hygiene].’ Do not pour your drink down your throat in one gulp. Drink it in three sips. Ibn Abbas reported that the Prophet said ‘Do not drink like a camel. Drink twice or thrice. Say the name of Allah before drinking. Thank Allah after finishing.

Do not exhale in your glass. This will irritate others and will smudge the glass or the cup. Ibn Abbas reported that the Prophet forbade exhaling in a glass or puffing into it.

Do not drink directly from the jug or the container. Beside being unhygienic behaviour, others may want to drink after you who could be irritated. Abo Huraira narrated that the Prophet forbade drinking directly from the mouth of the sheepskin or the flask.

6.4 AVOID GLUTTONY
Modesty is the crown (hallmark) of the common people. Keep this crown on your head if invited to a feast or if you are presented with food or drink. Do not be gluttonous devouring food as if you have not eaten for a long time, or as if you have not seen such excellent food before. Do not sample every dish on the table. People, even generous hosts disapprove of greedy eaters. Be reasonable and moderate in enjoying the generosity of your hosts.

6.5 GOLD AND SILVER CUTLERY
Do not eat using golden or silver plates or cutlery. This goes against the spirit of Islamic modesty. Pomposity is not an Islamic trait. Bukhari narrated that Huzaifa said the Prophet said ‘Do not drink in golden or silver cups nor eat in such plates.’ If you were a guest, simply ask your host to replace it with another one.

from the book ISLAMIC MANNERS
By Shaykh Abdul-Fattaah Abu Ghuddah (RA)

Related posts:

1. Social Manners with the Elderly
2. The Manners of Conversation
3. Manners of Visiting

Malta: Muslims and Catholics unite against ‘negative’ media and same-sex marriage

Archbishop Paul Cremona this morning called for the State to help couples prepare for marriage due to an increase in couples deciding against faith marriages.

Speaking at the opening session of a seminar intended to discuss the role of the family from a Muslim and Christian perspective, organised by the World Islamic Call Society, he also said that the media needed to be used to promote messages in favour of marriage stability.

This article was prepared by the Islam in Europe blog – islamineurope.blogspot.com

He said moral support should be offered to people who are trying to overcome difficult moments in their marriage, not only those who want to separate.

(…)

Meanwhile, Ammar Hreba, head of the Islamic Centres and Propagation Bureau, said that even according to the Muslim tradition, marriages were based on the male and the female.

“If we let the family collapse, thanks to the negative directions of the media, this will lead to catastrophes and destruction. Same-sex marriages, for instance, destroy the entity of how family began with Adam and Eve.”

He said negativity in the media leads to violence, but the Divine Call enables human beings to maintain the human race.

He called for the cooperation of the Church in Malta so that in a spirit of dialogue they could safeguard the family, by cooperating also with the government.

(more)

Source: Times of Malta

Norway: Sharia courts a possibility

In the UK, local Sharia councils have been operating for many years, but in 2007 the Muslim Arbitration Tribunals (MAT) were established. Recognized by the UK’s justice ministry and the Archbishop of Canterbury, the Sharia councils were officially allowed to judge in civil – not criminal – cases, based on the British Arbitration Act of 1996. They judge cases relating to economy, divorce, domestic violence, inheritance and forced marriage – with the framework of British law.

“It’s probable that this will exist in Norway. It wouldn’t surprise me if it already exists. Imams counsel Muslims today, and it’s natural that they use Sharia because it’s the legal tradition they’re accustomed to,” says director Tor Langbach of the Courts Administration.

This article was prepared by the Islam in Europe blog – islamineurope.blogspot.com

In the spring he visited the Muslim Arbitration Tribunals in London. There more and more Muslims solve conflicts using Islamic law instead of going to British courts. The headquarters are in London, Birmingham, Manchester, Bradford and Nuneaton. MAT say they’re working on setting up a new branch in Scotland. Currently they have not received inquiries from Norway, but were visited by Muslims from both Belgium and the Netherlands.

On their website, MAT assures that they offer ‘a real and true opportunity to settle disputes in accordance with Islamic Sacred Law with the knowledge that the outcome as determined by MAT will be binding and enforceable’. This requires that both parties want it.

The critics fear parallel legal systems. They think that women are at risk of being pressured by their family or others in their community to solve conflicts via the Sharia council instead of British law, because women end up more badly than men in Islamic legislation. Women, for example, inherit half of what men do. Divorce isn’t as easy for women to obtain.

Norwegian imams use also much of their time giving counsel, says Senaid Kobilica, head of the Islamic Council of Norway (IRN), and chief imam of the Bosnian community. The imams that Aftenposten spoke to can see Sharia councils like those in the UK – within the framework of Norwegian law.

Ten years ago Islam expert Kari Vogt wrote in the book “Islam in Norwegian” (Islam på norsk) that the question isn’t whether Islamic law is applied, but how, by whom and in which cases. According to Vogt, the IRN took the initiative to set up Sharia councils in Norway, but the time wasn’t ripe.

Senaid Kobilica says that the IRN didn’t consider the matter in principle nor taken a position on an eventual mandate or guidelines for such a body. He stresses that it would eventuality have to harmonize with Norwegian law.

He thinks that the British system is in reality not different than the counseling and mediation bodies which can also function as arbitration bodies if both parties want it to.

Kobilica says that such mediation bodies could systemize and ensure the quality of the work which is already being done by the mosques.

The Moroccan Faith-Society and the World Islamic Mission (WIM) say that Sharia councils per the British models are the way to go, but they stress that Norwegian law must have the last word. The imam in Minhaj-Ul-Quran, Sadagat Ali, can also see Sharia councils. Imam Najeeb Naz of WIM points out that Sharia enjoins Muslims to respect the laws of the country in which they live.

“For me as a Muslim in Norway, it’s Norwegian law which applies, but we should take Sharia into account,” says Jamal Moussaoui, head of the Moroccan Faith-Society.

Norwegian judges and courts also increasingly note that Sharia is an important part of the life of Muslims. PhD student Katja Jansen Fredriksen of Bergen reviewed cases which went through the Norwegian legal system.

“Sharia is resorted to in Norwegian law today too. In Norwegian court decisions, especially in family cases, I see that Muslims argue in the same way in Norwegian courts as they would in Sharia courts in Muslim countries.”

For example, the judge, in order to invalidate a forced marriage, has to know if the marriage was entered into legally in the country where the marriage ceremony was performed. Fredriksen wanted to create a guide to Sharia for Norwegian judges.

Source: Aftenposten (Norwegian)

Noway: Krekar press conference tapes published

Last week Mullah Krekar held a press conference for the foreign press in Norway. The foreign press were expected to ask their questions in Norwegian while Krekar answered in Arabic via translator.

Norwegian broadcaster NRK and Aftenposten both published a translation/summary of Krekar’s statements. NRK’s is an independent translation. The Norwegian security service is meanwhile working on getting a full transcript.

This article was prepared by the Islam in Europe blog – islamineurope.blogspot.com

The press conference was divided into several segments, which were posted online. The following is based on both summaries, and is probably a bit out of order. I might update the post as more quotes are published.

———

Part 1: Krekar feels unjustly treated

Krekar arrives at the pres conference and thanks those who are there for their interest in his case.

He say that he doesn’t wish to have contact with the Norwegian media because he thinks that he didn’t receive any sympathy from them.

Krekar also tells of how he feels unjustly treated by the Norwegian state and deprived of his rights, that he’s been attacked six times, but was never convicted though he’d been charged more than 40 times.

Part 2: Krekar tells of his Norwegian enemies and threatens Erna Solberg

Here Krekar tells of the three enemies he has in Norway: the political right wing, the intelligence service and the media. He also says who he thinks was behind the shooting at his apartment. Krekar thinks it was the Kurds, though nobody was suspected or arrested after the shooting.

He then threatens Erna Solberg. To the question of what he thinks might be the consequences if he’s deported from Norway, Krekar answers:

“My death will cost Norwegian society. Erna Solberg says Mullah Krekar should be deported from Norway and thrown to his death. Then she must pay a high price. Whoever takes her life, I don’t know. It can be Ansar al-Islam, al-Qaeda, my children or relatives. But she will pay the price regardless.”

To a direct question on whether the threat means that somebody will come to Norway and kill the person or persons responsible, Krekar answers:

“I say this with full awareness: if I die, the person who’s the cause of it will suffer the same.”

Q: You mean that somebody will be sent from Norway or abroad to kill?

“I don’t know how. I don’t have a plan for this, but my supporters won’t let this pass so easily.”

He ends by saying that his life isn’t hopeless.

“Had it been, then I would have carried out a suicide attack myself,” says Krekar.

Part 3: Krekar tells of the attack on the apartment, and his own backgrund – his wife has both the man’s and woman’s role at home

He explains why he thinks it wasn’t Arabs or Westerners, but rather Kurds, who were behind the shooting.

Krekar also boasts of the police efforts in the initial part of the investigation after the attack against him.

Krekar also speaks of his background, education, work, his interest in languages and books, that he’d read over 4,000 books and wrote over 40 books.

Also also says that he headed a party which was bigger than the Conservative Party, then he tells of how his wife has both the man’s and woman’s roles at home, since he doesn’t work and earn money.

In this clip he also tells of how he wanted to move to Cuba and become a communist and why he praises Osama bin Laden.

“People praise sports stars, the Jews praise Sharon, why shouldn’t we Muslims get to praise bin Laden?” Krekar asked rhetorically.

“One of the good things with Islam is that we describe things as they are. My description of Osama bin Laden is based on who Osama bin Laden is, a good, brave, Muslim and just man.”

“The West pesters us with Palestine, hijab and the cartoons, so we can get even by speaking about bin Laden, to give them a lesson and pester them a bit.”

After the hour and a half long meeting with the foriegn press in Norway, Krekar also defende his right to praise bin Laden.

“It’s not to provoke. It’s also not to provoke when Norway gives Obama the peace prize. You say your opinion, we say our opinion.”

Part 4: Krekar wished to go on the ship which were going to Gaza with aid

Here Krekar answers why he as a Muslim wanted to participate in the convoy with relief items which was supposed to go to Gaza.

Krekar says he wanted to participated in fighting against the Jews with his own teeth.

He tells also of why he went back to North-Iraq several times in the past few years, the same area he escaped from.

Part 5: Krekar talks about living in Norway and about his family. He says that Norwegian soldiers can be killed, but he doesn’t support terror attacks against civilians.

Here Krekar speaks again about the attack against his apartment.

“I think that the first attempt was well planned. It it will be repeated, it will be more difficult, because out opponents know that we’re watching out better than before.”

Krekar that those who attacked failed, and that nobody will succeed in getting him as long as the Norwegian state is not part of the planning. [ed: this means that Norway is now officially on notice as being responsible for his life, since if he dies, it must be Norway's fault]

Q: But a Palestinian in Norway was killed by the Mossad without the Norwegian state being involved?

“Everything is possible. I think the relationship between Norway and Israel is different than teh relationship between Norway and the PUK.”

Q: Are you afraid they will succeed?

“I am not afraid, but am more careful now.”

Krekar got questions on how he would have reacted if one of his children said they wanted to marry a Western non-Muslim.

“(laughter) I have four children. Two of them are married, so I hope I’ll avoid getting into this situation. For boys it’s not a problem marrying non-Muslims, but we try to maintain our traditions, our culture and our religion.”

“My children will get to like like youth here, as I’ve lived as a youth in my country. I will not interfere in their way of life, they’re good in school and make their own choices.”

“Two of my children are studying to be doctors, one is studying Arabic and media and the youngest was born here in Norway and says “Pappa, I want to be like Ronaldo”. I feel most sorry for him. He was seven when my case came up in court and he had fellow students coming with a newspaper to school with a picture of me and called me a terrorist.”

Q: What happens with you when you become sick, as you don’t have social security?

“I must be patient, as I was when I was in Kurdistan. I had a toothache for over two months before I found somebody I could trust to help me. Therefore I’ve become better at watching what I eat.”

Q: Have you tried making contact with Norwegian politicians to tell them of the situation you’re in?

“I think my case is well known. My laws tried to get to several solutions without success.

Q: What do you do during the day, since you can’t work?

“I know several languages and teach in Arabic and Kurdish. Many want to learn it. I like to read and am on the internet a lot.

Q: The Norwegian government wants Krekar deported, what did they take away his passport?

“(Laughter) It’s a joke. You give me the passport, I can travel out again and be killed in Mosul or wherever. But this isn’t just a case for Norway, it’s become a European case. They deport me, all of Europe will react. But what’s strange is that while I sit here Norwegian women are giving out Bibles in Afghanistan.”

Q: What do you think of the American government that wants you extradited?

“They’re lying, they have a document that shows that Krekar isn’t a problem in the US. I’m not wanted there, give me a visa and I’ll go there voluntarily. But because of my beard they will arrest me and take me to the US as a prisoner and not as a free man.”

Q: Are you still on the UN’s terror list?

“Yes I am. Two days after I was acquitted in Norway, I was blacklisted. They tried to pressure Norway, but they didn’t have enough to get me imprisoned. The legal system understood that it was a political game.”

Q: Are you thankful to be in Norway?

“Naturally I am grateful for getting to come to Norway”

Krekar was then asked what he thinks should happen to Norwegian soldiers in Iraq.

“Today it’s not Norwegians in Iraq, but anybody who contributed to occupying Iraq you can kill. If you were a Norwegian soldier and you went abroad it’s naturally right that you can be killed. Every day when I speak with people on the phone I answer “you have a right to kill the Americans. You don’t have a weapon, then throw your shoe at them and at all those who support the occupation in Iraq.”

As for Afghanistan:

“And naturally, if you are a Norwegian in Meymaneh or Faryab where the Norwegian soldiers are, it’s obviously proper to kill you.”

Q: Do you support terror attacks in the US?

“I don’t support any actions that kill civilians. It’s only allowed to kill in a war zone.”

Q: Do you know of Islam Net and their recruiting?

“No, I don’t know of them. I don’t have contact with mosques or Muslim organizations in Norway.”

Krekar was asked whether he regrets anything he said or did in Norway.

To that Krekar answered that he doesn’t regret anything, because he thinks he didn’t wrong anyone.

Krekar was also asked why he came to Norway as a refugee if it’s so bad here.

“I didn’t choose to come to Norway,” says Krekar and points out he was registered by the UN and that they were the one who decided to send him to Norway.

Sources: NRK, Aftenposten 1, 2 (Norwegian)

Netherlands: Socially acceptable antisemitism

Almost half of the criminal utterances on the internet are aimed at Jews. The number of incidents in the Netherlands is high. Antisemitism is socially acceptable, and everybody knows it.

In the former De Baarsjes district in Amsterdam-West, in the year 2010, there’s a hidden synagogue: Sjoel West (West Synagogue). Every week on the Sabbath, 25-30 Jews come to the services, but the majority of the Jews don’t want the synagogue to be noticeable as a synagogue, for fear of problems, discrimination and the cursing of Moroccan-Dutch street riffraff in the neighborhood. In the past Jews who wore a kippah were sometimes pelted with stones. In the building where the synagogue is located there’s no Star of David or name on the front, and the synagogue has a secret address. When the bell rings, the door isn’t opened just like that, and two Jews will always check who’s standing by the door. Besides the shamash (sexton), Erwin Brugmans, all the Jews who come to Sjoel West cover their kippah with a hat. They don’t want to be recognized as Jews.

This article was prepared by the Islam in Europe blog – islamineurope.blogspot.com

One in every five history teachers in the big cities (Randstad) sometimes deals with the fact that he or she can’t or hardly ever brings up the issue of the Holocaust, because Muslim students in particular have difficulties with it, Elsevier reported on April 27th of this year. ResearchNed surveyed 339 teachers in the VBMO, HAVO and VWO educational systems in 500 schools. Teachers in VMBO school in particular encountered opposition when they wanted to start discussion about the Final Solution to the Jewish Question. Ahmed Marcouch, former district mayor of the Slotervaart district in Amsterdam Nieuw-West and a candidate parliament remember, wants the Holocaust to become a compulsory subject in school exams as quickly as possible, he said during a Remembrance Day speech in Slotervaart on May 4th.

Indeed, we should never forget the Final Solution and we should never give in to the intolerance and racism of these young pseudo-Dutch. The teachers should stand tall, but it’s much more important to see and fight the Jew-hatred of today: 65 years after the German occupation there are six neighborhoods in our capital where Jews with a kippah or where orthodox clothed Jews (and for that matter also gays who can be identified as such) can’t show themselves anymore without running a big risk of being cursed at, spit at, threatened and even manhandled. In addition to De Baarsjes, it’s all of Nieuw-West, the Indische Buurt and the Transvaalbuurt in Amsterdam-East and De Pijp in Amsterdam-South, in short, all neighborhoods where there are concentrations of Moroccan Dutch.

I know two Orthodox Jews who for years were beset and cursed on their way to their synagogue in De Pijp by groups of Moroccan youth: “Dirty f*cking Jews. Allah will slaughter all of you.” One moved to Israel, the other to Amstelveen where ‘they’ are not.

Most of their Jewish friends don’t dare go with a kippah in the Indische Buurt, Transvaalbuurt or Nieuw-West, or they put a hat over their kippah. Even rabbi Raphael Evers, who lives in the neat Dutch Buitenveldert neighborhood, has developed avoidance behavior, and goes out as little as possible, because outside he’s almost always insulted by Moroccans: “Heh. Hitler forgot one.” Many Jews that he knows have similar experiences. Evers says that it occurs everywhere in Amsterdam and thinks that it’s especially the virulence of the hate that is shocking

These are the facts.

In the Netherlands, all Jewish schools, synagogues and other Jewish installations, have been permanently protected and guarded for years. Almost half of the 577 criminal internet utterances which according to the Internet Discrimination Hotline were reported in 2009, were against Jews. And 44% of the statement also included criminal Holocaust denial, a much higher percentage than in 2008. The hotline itself doesn’t investigate on the internet, but only counts the reports. If the hotline would have systematically examined Moroccan sites, it could have easily enlarged the number of antisemitic reports by a thousand.

According to a study report (April 2010) of the Stephen Roth Institute of the Tel Aviv University, the number of antisemitic statements around the world had never been as high as in 2009. In many cases they were about ‘coordinated and planed attacks against Jews’. The number doubled in comparison with 2008, but increased the most in Canada and particularly in Western Europe. The leaders were the UK (tripled) and France (quadrupled), where there are the biggest Jewish communities in European, and where there are also large Muslim populations.

In France there were 195 registered incidents, but in the Netherlands, already in the first month of 2009 there were a hundred registered incidents, according to the CIDI. And the definitive data about 2009 aren’t yet known. Relatively very high, if you consider that the Jewish community in France is about ten times as big as that of the Netherlands. Last Saturday the Sabbath service in the Weesp synagogue was canceled at the advice of the police, which mentioned a ‘threatening report’.

Recently I spoke with about 15 students of Moroccan and Turkish origin in vocational training who all lived in Nieuw-West. “Can a Jew with a kippah walk about Nieuw-West, without being harassed or cursed?” I asked. The answer came without hesitation: “No, naturally not, man!”. In recent years I asked about 40 Moroccans that, and I always got the same answer.

The majority of the second and third generation of Moroccan Dutch harbors racist standpoints about Jews which are a bit more extreme than those of the former Vlaams Blok [ed: now Vlaams Belang] about North Africans. Even with some of my Moroccan friends it’s impossible to bring up Israel and ‘the Jews’, after that nothing sensible comes out. The Jews are all child murderers. the Jews and Americans are responsible for everything. Osama bin Laden doesn’t exist. That’s an invention of Bush and the CIA. The attack on the WTC on September 11, 2001 was organized and implemented by the CIA and the Mossad (the Jewish worldwide plot). Weren’t all Jews who worked in the WTC on September 11th fortuitously off work? Now than.

Bloeme Evers-Emden (83), visits Sjoel West every Sabbath. She was a girl of 13 in 1939, survived the concentration camp, but lost most of her family during WWII. She can remember the anti-Jewish propaganda of the NSB, but not that Jews were ever beaten in Amsterdam. Bloeme Evers thinks it’s too silly for words that Jews have to hide in our country. She is furious and combative. “That we have to deal with antisemitism again becoming socially acceptable. Jews never go out to rip off headscarves from Muslim women, than it would really be enough is enough. Than everybody would raise a hue and cry, but we have to put up with it.”

These are the facts. We know it. We think it’s normal, sickly normal.

Source: Paul Andersson Toussaint in NRC

Norway: Woman establishes Jihad-promoting forum

Arfan Q. Bhatti has the distinction of being Norway’s first terrorism suspect. His wife, Marjam Salvesen Bhatti, now runs a Jihadist website, much like Malika el-Aroud, the “mother of al-Qaeda in Europe“.

This article was prepared by the Islam in Europe blog – islamineurope.blogspot.com

“I will honor Palestinian, Chechen and other Muslim women who contribute as freedom fighters in the resistance struggle,” says Marjam Salvesen Bhatti.

On Facebook the Trondheim woman established a forum for promoting Jihad, where she publicized a series of pictures of female Jihadists with guns and suicide bombs.

For Marjam Jihad is not a negatively charged term, but an obligation for her as a Muslim.

“For me pictures of Israeli fighter planes and American tanks are far more frightening than Muslim women with a Kalashnikov. I don’t see it as any weirder that a Muslim woman would do Jihad as compared to a Norwegian female soldier participating in the war in Afghanistan,’ says Salvesen Bhatti, who in today’s Ukeadressa says she got her second name after marrying Arfan Q. Bhatti.

When Bhatti was acquitted several weeks ago of attempted murder after shooting at a building in Asker in 2006, she was there in court to support her husband.

Salvesen Bhatti is half Norwegian and half Algerian. She studied religious history at NTNU, was a stewardess for SAS and had an exclusive shoe and handbag shop in Trondheim. Today she sees her past life in the fashion industry as meaningless.

“Now I use my time for my family and Islam – and so far I’ve had the opportunity to fight injustice,” she says.

After Christmas she was the only Norwegian among the activists in the Freedom March which entered the Gaza Strip to mark the one year anniversary for Israel’s bombing and siege of Gaza.

“Israel has made the Palestinians into refugees in their own land. I can see a Jewish state being established in the US or Germany. It was after all the Germans who led the mass extermination of the Jews, and it’s the Europeans they had been persecuted by. The Palestinians are innocent of the Holocaust,” says Marjam, who doesn’t justify killing civilians, but understands suicide bombers.

Source: Adresseavisen (Norway)

For more on Bhatti see the following:

* Norway: Former terror-suspect organizing Muhammed cartoon protest

* Norway: First terrorism trial ends with acquittal

* Norway: First terrorism trial opens

* Norway: Terror suspect suspected of planning Jew’s murder