UK: Dentist Allegedly Refused to Treat Patient Unless She Covered

Muslim dentist ‘made patient cover her head’

Russell Jenkins (London Times)

A Muslim dentist insisted that a young woman wear an Islamic headscarf before he would agree to treat her for toothache, the General Dental Council was told yesterday.

The patient, a community nurse, alleges that she reluctantly told Omer Butt, 31, who runs a dental practice in Bury, Greater Manchester, that she was a nonpractising Muslim…

… The nurse allegedly told her: “Inside the surgery it is Mr Butt’s world and his rules that apply.”

Ummm…. no. It’s the National Health Service’s rules that apply, at least if you want to stay on the rolls.

Andrew Hockton, defending the dentist, said that Mr Butt asked Muslim women to cover everything except their hands and faces “in order to protect his honour”.

But uncovered non-Muslim women did NOT offend his honor?

I suppose Mr. (Dr.?) Butt believes that bullying female Muslim patients into wearing hijab is a type of dawah. Doesn’t seem to be working, at least not in this case.

Israel: Young Girl, Paralyzed from the Neck Down, Awaits Court Decision

Happiest day for Marya, 6, victim of war

Uzi Mahnaimi (London Times)

A six-year-old girl who was paralysed from the neck down in an Israeli missile strike enjoyed what she called the happiest day of her life as she was allowed out of her hospital ward for the first time to go to school last week…

…Her time at school might prove short-lived, however. A court is due to consider on Tuesday whether she can remain in Israel or must be sent back to the Palestinian territories.

The problem is that the special care and equipment that Marya Aman requires are not available in Gaza. A court ruling against her remaining in Israel would essentially be a death warrant.

Malaysia: Aga Khan Award for Architecture

Architecture for a Better Muslim World

Erich Follath (International Spiegel)

In 1977 Karim Aga Khan IV, the leader of the Nizari Ismailis, established what is now the world’s mostly heavily endowed prize for architecture. At a recent awards ceremony in the Malaysian capital Kuala Lumpur, the prize was awarded to a number of very different, socially relevant buildings: a showcase university, a market and a school made of bamboo and mud.

Turkey: Proposal to Lift Restrictions on Hijab in Universities and Government Functions

Women who wear hijab in Turkey are prohibited from working in government offices, cannot appear in court, teach, attend university or practice medicine. This effectively cuts many women off from careers, education and government services.

The proposal to lift these restrictions will not usher in a Taliban-state. Rather, it will allow women who cover to go about their business and participate more fully in society.

Not without my Headscarf

Annette Grossbongardt (International Spiegel)

Fatma Benli is a lawyer. The official accreditation from the bar association hangs on the wall of her Istanbul office in a gold frame next to her university diploma. Despite her impeccable qualification, the 34-year-old is limited in the extent to which she can practice her profession. She isn’t allowed to appear in court because of the yellow and brown headscarf she uses to cover her hair for religious reasons. In strictly secular Turkey, women wearing headscarves are not allowed to work as either judges or doctors. Nor are they allowed to work as civil servants — or attend university

Saudi Arabia: Campaign to Permit Women to Drive Gears Up Again

Saudi Women Petition for Right to Drive
Challenge Poses Risks in Sole Country Where Only Men May Take the Wheel

Faiza Saleh Ambah (Washington Post)

For the first time since a demonstration in 1990, a group of Saudi women is campaigning for the right to drive in this conservative kingdom, the only country in the world that prohibits female drivers.

After spreading the idea through text messages and e-mails, the group’s leaders said they collected more than 1,100 signatures online and at shopping malls for a petition sent to King Abdullah on Sunday.

“We don’t expect an answer right away,” said Wajeha al-Huwaider, 45, an education analyst who co-founded the group. “But we will not stop campaigning until we get the right to drive.”

Africa: Tostan.org, Community-Led Development

Tostan, Community Led Development

Tostan’s mission is to empower African communities to bring about sustainable development and positive social transformation based on respect for human rights. Since 1991 Tostan has brought its holistic 30-month education program to thousands of communities in nine African countries. We have been recognized by the international community for our groundbreaking work with villagers living in extreme poverty in remote areas. Tostan means “breakthrough” in the West African language of Wolof.

Tostan’s successes include persuading thousands of West African communities to formally and publicly abandon female genital mutilation and forced/child marriage.

Iraq: War Costing Americans $500K per Minute

The Iraq War cost estimates include:

…[T]he immediate costs of war … [and]… also ongoing factors such as long-term health care for veterans, interest on debt and replacement of military hardware.

Of course, not everyone agrees this is a bad thing:

[S]ome supporters of the Bush administration’s policy in Iraq say that even if the war is costly, that fact is essentially immaterial.

Face it. The war hawks will NEVER admit they were and are wrong on Iraq.

War Costing $720 Million Each Day, Group Says

Kari Lydersen (Washington Post)

The money spent on one day of the Iraq war could buy homes for almost 6,500 families or health care for 423,529 children, or could outfit 1.27 million homes with renewable electricity, according to the American Friends Service Committee, which displayed those statistics on large banners in cities nationwide Thursday and Friday.

The war is costing $720 million a day or $500,000 a minute, according to the group’s analysis of the work of Nobel Prize-winning economist Joseph E. Stiglitz and Harvard public finance lecturer Linda J. Bilmes.

US: State Department Digital Outreach Team Enters the Blogosphere

The US State Department’s so-called Digital Outreach Team has made a presence for itself commenting on Arabic forums and blogs.

Brent E. Blaschke, the project director, said the idea was to reach “swing voters,” whom he described as the silent majority of Muslims who might sympathize with Al Qaeda yet be open to information about United States government policy and American values.

Reviews are mixed…

At State Dept., Blog Team Joins Muslim Debate

Neil McFarquahar (NY Times)

Kosovo: Students Sent Home for Wearing Hijab

Hijab-phobia has struck in Kosovo, where the scarf is forbidden to be worn by students. So far, three have been sent home. Supposedly there is a fear of Kosovo being perceived as being “too Islamic”. This is despite the fact that Kosovars, while nominally Muslim, are mostly secular and not particularly stringent in their practices.

Kosovar Students Defy Headscarf Ban

Nebi Qena (Associated Press)

Three students were suspended from school in Kosovo this week for wearing Muslim headscarves, reflecting a debate that is echoing across Europe and complicating the province’s quest for independence.

The argument over whether secular society should trump religious rights is similar to those taking place in France, Turkey, Britain and elsewhere.

But some in the breakaway Serb province fear its bid for statehood could suffer if Kosovo is perceived as overly Islamic…

USA: Furor Over Foot-Washing Sinks at Indianapolis Airport

Here we go again… this time it’s the airport at Indianapolis, IN that has proposed outfitting a men’s room and a women’s room with one foot sink apiece, at a cost of no more than $600 per sink. Chump change, and not tax-funded either. (The moneys come from airline revenues.)

Sinks for Muslims at airport are up in air
Facing complaints, officials say plans for wash basins are ‘only preliminary’

Robert King (Indianapolis Star)

Airport officials, facing complaints from the public and criticism from a local Baptist minister, say plans to accommodate the prayer needs of Muslim taxi drivers in a new terminal’s design are a long way from being “set in stone.”

Special floor-level sinks that would make it easier for Muslims to wash their feet before prayer are part of the current plans for restrooms that would serve taxi drivers in a new airport terminal due for completion next year.

But airport officials, who last week said the sinks were needed to solve a potential safety hazard from wet floors and to make the restrooms more sanitary, said Friday that plans for the foot sinks were “only preliminary…”

See also:

Footwashing basins at airport meet opposition

Kris Kirschner (WTHR Eyewitness News)

Outside the Hope Baptist Church on the west side is a preview of this weekend’s sermon – what some might consider an unusual subject – as the sign reads, “No tax-funded footwashing sinks.”

The topic refers to plans to install footwashing basins on the Indianapolis airport property to accommodate Muslim cabdrivers who practice the ritual several times a day. But Pastor Jerry Hillenburg considers the plan “a violation of the constitution.”

Hillenburg lost a son to the war in Iraq. He has very strong opinions about Islamic culture and he believes the additions to the airport, although small, have a big impact. He adds, “I think no taxpayer money should be spent to establish any system of religion…”

First, my condolences to Pastor Hillenburg on the loss of his son. Now, two points for Pastor Hillenburg to consider: the foot baths are not taxpayer funded, as noted above. Even if they were taxpayer funded, they are sinks and have no religious significance whatsoever. They are plumbing facilities and are being installed to fulfill the needs of those using the bathrooms, and to ensure passenger and worker safety in the rest room.

USA: After Attack by Husband, Prominent Christian Evangelist Turns Attention to Domestic Violence

A Minister’s Public Lesson on Domestic Violence

Shaila Dewan (NY Times))

The attack in a hotel parking lot here last month was remarkable not only because the victim, Juanita Bynum, is the most prominent black female television evangelist in the country, who is pals with Oprah, admired by Aretha, and who recently signed on to campaign for Obama.

It was shocking, especially to legions of women who had latched onto her message that only chastity and self-respect would bring true love, because the attacker who choked, stomped and kicked her, Ms. Bynum said, was her husband.

The episode has led to debate about domestic violence and how churches, particularly black churches, respond to it.

But it has also raised questions about the trajectory of Ms. Bynum’s career as a woman who called herself a prophetess, and while condemning promiscuity spoke openly about her lust and longing, in what has been called one of the most significant contemporary American sermons. Her struggle struck a chord in many black communities, where marriage rates are notoriously low, and it seemed to culminate in the form of an earthly reward: a televised, million-dollar 2003 wedding to a fellow Pentecostal preacher, Bishop Thomas W. Weeks III, followed by what seemed to be a model marriage…

Saudia Arabia: Women and Sports Do Not Mix

The discovery of a 12-years old girl at a stadium watching a soccer match in Saudi Arabia caused quite a stir. (Women are not permitted to view soccer matches, although as someone points out, they can watch unofficial soccer matches any day of the week in any given neighborhood.) But participating in sports and viewing sporting events are not easy to do if you are female in Saudi Arabia. The author wonders “about a woman’s right to have a full normal life, one in which she is allowed to play sports and enjoy them. This is a very sore point for many women who would enjoy participating in sports but are prevented from doing so unless they go to private clubs — and even there the range is limited.” (Hat tip to in2thefray for this article.)

The Right of Women to Watch Sports Events

Abeer Mishkhas (Arab News)

IN A situation truly the first of its kind, a 12-year-old girl managed to disrupt a football match in Al-Ahsa several days ago. The unprecedented presence of the alien “girl” was enough to trigger a long debate between the referees and the security guards concerning what should be done about the invader. After 36 minutes of discussions, the security guards asked the girl to leave the stadium…

Iraq: Two Million Have Fled Their Homes, Many Forced to Relocate Multiple Times

Refugees in their own land: 2m Iraqis forced to flee their homes

· Many move several times in search of safety and jobs
· Ethnic map redrawn, says Red Crescent report

Suzanne Goldenberg (The Guardian)

… The constant movement and a lack of amenities have taken a heavy toll on the fabric of Iraqi society, the report warned.

“Some teenagers who lost loved ones joined the armed groups and started taking revenge on innocent people from different ethnic groups. Rape, armed gangs, theft, drug addiction was commonplace,” it said. “The overall picture is that of a human tragedy unprecedented in Iraq’s history…”

Egypt: Opposition to Female Genital Mutilation Increases

In Egypt, a Rising and Vocal Push Against Genital Cutting

Michael Slackman (NY Times)

The men in this poor farming community were seething. A 13-year-old girl was brought to a doctor’s office to have her clitoris removed, a surgery considered necessary here to preserve chastity and honor.

The girl died, but that was not the source of the outrage. After her death, the government shut down the clinic, and that got everyone riled up.

“They will not stop us,” shouted Saad Yehia, a tea shop owner along the main street. “We support circumcision!” he shouted over and over.

“Even if the state doesn’t like it, we will circumcise the girls,” hollered Fahmy Ezzeddin Shaweesh, an elder in the village.

Circumcision, as supporters call it, or female genital mutilation, as opponents refer to it, was suddenly a ferocious focus of debate in Egypt this summer. A nationwide campaign to stop the practice has become one of the most powerful social movements in Egypt in decades, uniting an unlikely alliance of government forces, official religious leaders and street-level activists.

Though Egypt’s Health Ministry ordered an end to the practice in 1996, it allowed exceptions in cases of emergency, a loophole critics describe as so wide that it effectively rendered the ban meaningless. But now the government is trying to force a comprehensive ban…

Where Modesty and Fashion Meet

Muslim fashion designers moving beyond the traditional

Robb Young (International Herald Tribune)

Punks or ravers they certainly are not. Discrete and devout, their kind of fashion statement could not be further from the razor-sharp mohawks or day-glo accessories of those counter-culture types. But young Muslim entrepreneurs around the world are making their own fashion statements, modestly, challenging the status quo in their communities as well as stereotypes outside.

In an ever-influential global pop culture that idolizes the shortest of skirts and catwalks where flesh can overshadow fabric, Muslims from Sydney to Saudi Arabia who love fashion are taking matters into their own hands…