Egypt’s prime minister has sacked the justice minister, Ahmed al-Zind, after he was criticised for saying he would jail Islam’s prophet Muhammad himself if he broke the law.
Zind’s comments came in a televised interview on Friday. Upon realising what he had said, Zind immediately stopped and said: “I ask for forgiveness from God.” He also issued an apology in another interview on Saturday, but to no avail.
“Prime minister Sherif Ismail issued a decree today to relieve Ahmed al-Zind … of his position,” a government statement said, giving no more details.
Zind, a former appeals court judge, had been publicly outspoken in his criticism of the Muslim Brotherhood removed from power by the army in mid-2013 and banned as a terrorist group.
He has in the past denounced the 2011 revolt that ended Hosni Mubarak’s 30-year rule and ushered in the election that brought the Islamist movement to power. He has also been a strong defender of the judiciary and its powerful position.
Egyptian judges issued a statement opposing Zind’s removal over what the head of the Judges Club told Reuters was a slip of the tongue that could have happened to anyone.
“Egypt’s judges are sorry that someone who defended Egypt and its people, judiciary and nation in the face of the terrorist organisation that wanted to bring it down should be punished in this way,” said Abdallah Fathi.
Egyptian courts have been absolving Mubarak-era officials, while imposing long sentences on liberal and Islamist activists.
Egypt’s judiciary has faced criticism from rights groups in the past two years after judges issued mass death sentences against Muslim Brotherhood supporters, locking up youth activists and sentencing writers and journalists.
Zind’s predecessor was also forced to resign last May after saying the son of a garbage collector was ineligible to serve as a judge.
It was not immediately clear who would replace him.
Reuters and Agence France-Presse contributed to this report
Muslims from the religion’s two major sects in Singapore have been living harmoniously with a sense of mutual respect for over a century, said Syed Hassan Al-Attas, a respected Sunni imam (Islamic leader).
The comments by the imam from Ba’alwie Mosque came amid tensions in the Middle East arising from the recent execution of Shiite cleric Nimr Baqr al-Nimr by Saudi Arabian authorities, which has highlighted a schism between Sunni and Shiite Muslims in the region.
“For Sunnis and Shiites in Singapore, the relationship is very deep, and has existed in Singapore for more than 100 years… we don’t identify ourselves as Sunnis or Shiites in Singapore, we identify ourselves as Muslims. We’ve never pointed fingers (at each other),” said Syed Hassan in a recent interview with Yahoo Singapore.
When asked about the perception of some Sunnis around the world that Shiites are not true believers, the imam disagreed.
“If they are not Muslims, how can the Saudi government approve their visas to enter Mecca? They are Muslims too,” he said.
He felt that the squabbles between Sunni-majority Saudi Arabia and its allies, and Shiite-majority Iran are political in nature and have nothing to do with religion.
About 15 per cent of the Singapore population practice Islam, with the majority being Sunnis, according to the 2010 Census of Population statistics.
Of the 70 mosques in Singapore, only the Burhani Mosque at Hill Street belongs to the Shiites.
View photos
Photo: Ba’alwie Mosque on Lewis Street
Historical background of Sunnis and Shiites
Sunni and Shiite Muslims believe in Prophet Muhammad and that he revealed the monotheistic religion to the people of Mecca. The key difference in the beliefs of the two sects is over the choice of the prophet’s immediate successor.
Sunnis believed that the successor should be Abu Bakar, who was the prophet’s father-in-law, while Shiites believe Ali ibn Abi Talib, who was the prophet’s son-in-law, should be chosen instead.
Both sects share similarities in terms of some of the obligations of Muslims, such as the performing of the Haj, fasting and reading of the Koran.
Sunnis and Shiites working to build the Muslim community
Syed Hassan said the believers from both sects in Singapore see each other as part of one religion and have joined together in building the Muslim community.
For instance, both Sunnis and Shiites in Singapore had worked together to establish the Islamic Religious Council of Singapore (MUIS).
“(During) the formation of MUIS in 1970, the legal adviser was the late (prominent Persian lawyer) Mohamed Javad Namazie, who is a Shiite.”
Other Shiites have also contributed to the Sunni-dominated Muslim community here, Syed Hassan pointed out.
“MKAC (Muslim Kidney Action Association) Ameerali (Abdeali), he’s a Shiite. Jumabhoy, the one from Scotts, Dr Kutubuddin, Mr Tayebali, and many others, are all Shiites who contributed to the betterment of Singapore, but nobody goes around saying ‘I’m Shiite, I’m Sunni’,” he said.
Ameerali Abdeali is the president of MKAC while the Jumabhoy family once owned property developer Scotts Holdings (now called The Ascott Limited) from 1975 to 1984.
J.M. Jumabhoy, who was the minister for commerce and industry between 1956 and 1959, was a Shiite too.
A Shiite with deep roots in Singapore
Gholamreza Kashkooli, a 58-year-old Iranian Shiite who has lived in Singapore for 35 years, is happy to see Sunnis and Shiites in the country working together.
The relationship between the two sects is peaceful, contrary to how it is depicted in the media, Gholamreza told Yahoo Singapore.
“In Iran, the majority of them (citizens) are educated. They do not look into this matter and create problems between themselves,” said Gholamreza, the owner of an import and export company.
Gholamreza pointed out that there are many Sunni scholars in Iran, and there is no discord between the minority Sunnis and the majority Shiites in the country over the differences in their beliefs.
Sunnis and Shiites agree that there is “one God, Muhammad is a prophet, and the Koran”, he said.
Singapore’s strong legal framework protects religious harmony
Lawyer Noor Mohamed Marican, who is a Sunni Muslim, said the violence that was seen in the Middle East recently would never happen in Singapore.
He said the strong legal framework in Singapore is in place to prevent such a scenario. In any event, there is no reason for concern as the local Muslim community’s relations are cordial.
“You are given your space (to worship), so don’t abuse your space. If you are here to create disharmony, the law will come in,” said Marican in a recent interview with Yahoo Singapore.
“We are all Muslims living together; our fundamentals are the same,” he added.
In the commentary “Malaysia, truly Arab?” (Jan 7), the writer referred to an event held on Dec 31 at Dataran Merdeka in Malaysia to question whether the country has become Arab.
Prophet Muhammad was born in the month of Rabiul Awal in the Islamic calendar. This fell on Dec 13 this time. Some Muslims celebrate it for the whole of Rabiul Awal. The event referred to was one such event, called Mahallul Qiyaam Selawat. The organisers could have chosen that time because the next day was a public holiday. The event coincided with New Year’s Eve in the Gregorian calendar, hence the article.
But it should be looked at in the context of an Islamic event televised by a Malaysian television channel.
Editor’s Note: The views of Haj Mohamed was published in Voices, Today, on 16 Jan 2015.
A: The split emerged over a disagreement on who should succeed the Prophet Mohammed, who died in 632.
Some felt his successor should be chosen from among his followers, while others — the “Shiite Ali” or Partisans of Ali — believed the position should stay within the prophet’s family and that Mohammed had backed his cousin Ali for the post.
Eventually, Abu Bakr, a confidant of the prophet, became the first caliph, and was succeeded by two other members of Mohammed’s inner circle before Ali assumed the post.
Shiite Muslims hold all of the prophet’s family, and particularly Ali and his sons Hassan and Hussein, in high esteem.
Hussein’s murder in 680 along with most of his family is commemorated each year by Shiite Muslims in the Ashura ritual, a day of mourning.
Q: What are the religious differences?
A: Sunni and Shiite Muslims share many practices and beliefs, including the so-called five pillars of Islam that encompass fundamentals such as five daily prayers and the pilgrimage to Mecca.
Shiite Muslims, however, consider Ali to be the first of a series of imams, who are successors to the prophet and provide models and guidance for the faithful.
As a result, Shiite Islam has a stricter clerical hierarchy, exemplified with the ayatollahs and imams of Iran and Iraq, than does Sunni Islam.
Shiites believe in an unbroken line of 12 imams who succeeded the prophet, beginning with Ali, and that the twelfth imam is in occultation but will return to restore justice on earth before the day of judgment.
While Sunni Muslims deem the four men who succeeded Mohammed to be the “rightly guided” caliphs, they do not place any particular significance on the religious practices of the leaders who came after them.
Shiite Muslims also incorporate mention of Ali into the Muslim shahada, or profession of faith, and have several religious holidays distinct from Sunnis that are based on their reverence for Ahl al-Bayt, or the family of the prophet.
These include Ashura and Arbaeen, which commemorate the deaths of Ali’s son Hussein and the suffering of his surviving family members respectively.
They also go on pilgrimages to several holy sites specific to Shiites, in addition to the Haj pilgrimage to Mecca in Saudi Arabia.
Q: What are the demographics?
A: According to a 2015 study by the Pew Forum, there are just under 1.6 billion Muslims worldwide.
Sunnis are generally thought to constitute up to 90 percent of the population of Muslims, with the rest divided between different Shiite branches.
The balance is less stark in the Middle East because of large Shiite populations in countries such as Iran, with some 80 million adherents to the branch.
Iran is traditionally regarded as the most powerful and important Shiite-majority country in the world, with Shiites also forming a majority in neighbouring Iraq and Bahrain.
There are large Shiite populations elsewhere, including in Yemen, Pakistan and Lebanon. Offshoots and branches of Shiite Islam are present in other countries too, including Syria and India.
Saudi Arabia, home of the pilgrimage sites of Mecca and Medina, is often regarded as the centre of Sunni Islam and the ruling king is known as “custodian of the two holy mosques” in reference to mosques at the two sites.
The Al-Azhar institution in Egypt is often regarded as Sunni Islam’s most important academic institution and a reference for the faithful.
May Allah shower His blessings and love in this blessed month and help us in obedience. AMin.
MashaALLAH.
It was a speechless experience learning with a mashaAllah Hubabah Umm Islam from Tarim, Yemen.
Nothing is happiness, except be with people who reminds us of Akhirah, of Rasulullah, and of Jannah.
Allow me to summarise a little of what we learnt, inshaAllah.
May this little benefit.
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Women & Parenting
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1.Parenting begins before marriage – so choose your spouse carefully.
2.Parenting begins during the intercourse – so always remember to recite the du’a: “”I am having relations in the name of Allah. O Allah save us from Satan and keep him away from the children You grant us”. The child that is born after the recitation of this dua will never be harmed by Satan.
(Bukhari, Muslim)
3.Parenting begins at home – if you want the light of Rasulullah to enter your home, so take care of these 3:
TAHAJJUD = Wake them up, and let them play during tahajjud.
AZAN = Protect azan by be silent, and reply the azan with an intention for Allah.
AURAH= If wewant to see and dream of Rasulullah, take care of our aurah even at home.
4.Parenting begins with Lafaz Jalalah – the word ALLAH.
Teach them to recite Surah Al-Ikhlas 10 times every day, because Allah will build a house for you in Jannah.
Teach them to recite “Subhanaallah Wabihamdih Subhanallahil Azimi Wabihamdih, because Allah will build a garden for you in Jannah.
5. Parenting must be with a SMILE & SOFTNESS.
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Women & Fitnah
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How to live life in this zaman of fitnah?
Prepare for death every day – so take care of solah on time and be in khusyu’.
Zikir Allah in the breath every day – do not zikir dunya, because dunya is just like the wing of an insect.
Do good always – to Muslims and non-Muslims. Never help people for soem ulterior motives. Do it for Islam.
Take care of time – In a hadith Qudsi, Rasulullah said, Allah said “There is 24 hours in a day. 20 hours I give it to you, 4 hours, make thime for me.” So, make our zikir more than our words.
Depend our hearts only to Allah – Becasue Allah is wth those hearts who are broken.
Take care of our 5 prayers, because those do not pray has destroys his religion.
Take care of the Quran – All good, all cure, all Rizq, comes from the Quran. So recite Surah Yasin, Surah Waqiah, Surah Mulk, Surah Kaf, Surah Maryam, and all other Surahs in the Quran.
And Hubabah gave wasiah to recite these inshaAllah:
Istighfar 70 times per day
Selawat 1000times in the day, 1000 times at night.
Ya Latif 1000 times per day
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Women & Modesty
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What is real modesty?
It is to let go of embarrassment – have real tawakkal and leave everything to Allah.
How to take care of modesty?
Take care of Allah’s right openly and secretly.
Take care of her religion – Always have this in mind “Allah is watching you”
Take care of education – When you teach a man, you teach a man. But when you teach a woman, you teach a generation.
How to teach a woman?
1.Teach them women’s fiqh – They MUST know their menses, haidh, nifas, istihadhah, bath, and others.
2. Take care of our communication with men.
– Do not laugh loudly in public.
-Do not be alone with man of non-mahram.
-Do not talk too much.
3. Take care of clothing.
4. Have respect towards parents and the elderly.
5. Live the lost Sunnah
MashaAllah.
This is the little that I can share.
But inshaAllah, if there is more I will update in this blog biiznillah.
