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International donors pledge $4bn for Yemen

salama — Thu, 24 May 2012 10:52:40 +0000

International donors have pledged more than $4bn (£2.54bn) in aid to Yemen, which is facing a possible humanitarian catastrophe.

Neighbouring Saudi Arabia is providing the bulk of the funds, promising $3.25bn to help the goverment improve infrastructure and security.

Aid agencies have warned that Yemen is on the brink of a food crisis.

At an international conference on Yemen, the Sanaa government is thought to have asked for some $10bn in help.

Yemen has been shaken by pro-democracy protests, communal unrest in the north and an Islamist conflict in the south.

Attending the “Friends of Yemen” conference in Riyadh, Saudi Foreign Minister Saud al-Faisal said the funds were aimed at achieving stability in Yemen.

State failure

“I assert one more time our support to Yemen to back all the phases of the political initiative to help achieve security, stability and prosperity in facing the threats of extremism and terrorism,” he told representatives from Western and Arab Gulf nations at the start of the gathering.

He said the money would go towards supporting “development projects”.

“Yemeni families are at the brink and have exhausted their ways of coping with this crisis” Penny LawrenceInternational director, Oxfam

But when the BBC questioned a senior Saudi official on exactly what the money would be spent on, he said it would support Yemen’s currency, cover the deficit and strengthen the security forces.

Speaking after the coference, Yemen’s Foreign Minister Abu Bakr al-Qirabi said: ”This [aid] confirms that the Yemeni-Saudi relationship is special and that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is fully aware that the stability of Yemen is a key element for the stability of the Kingdom.”

While the fragile government in Sanaa may welcome the extra funds, the money will not address the urgent humanitarian needs of those facing starvation outside the capital, says the BBC’s Emily Buchanan.

In February, the Yemen government reportedly said some $3bn aid pledged by the Friends of Yemen group in 2006 still had not been delivered.

On Tuesday, the UK government announced it would be providing aid for at least 250,000 of the most vulnerable in the country – including nutrition support, food aid and the provision of safe water.

Malnutrition rising

The UK Minister for International Development, Alan Duncan, said: “Without that support, the alternative is a slide towards state failure and an increased threat from international terrorism.”

In a joint warning on Tuesday, a group of seven charities said that 10 million Yemenis – 44% of the population – were currently undernourished, with five million requiring emergency aid.

The aid agencies say there is food available, but many Yemenis are unable to afford it

In their warning, the aid agencies – Care, International Medical Corps, Islamic Relief, Merlin, Mercy Corps, Oxfam and Save the Children – say malnutrition rates have doubled in the country since 2009, partly as a result of a surge in food and fuel prices.

The problem has been exacerbated by political instability and conflict, with nearly half a million people displaced from their homes by fighting.

Markets across much of Yemen have food available, but many Yemenis cannot afford to feed their families, the aid groups warned.

“Yemeni families are at the brink and have exhausted their ways of coping with this crisis,” Oxfam’s international director, Penny Lawrence, said.

“Mothers are taking their children out of school to beg on the streets to get money to survive.”

Unable to cope

Jerry Farrell, Save the Children’s country director for Yemen, said: “Unless urgent humanitarian action is taken, Yemen will be plunged into a hunger crisis of catastrophic proportions.”

According to UN estimates, a third of Yemeni children are malnourished.

A UN humanitarian aid appeal for Yemen is facing a $262m (£166m) shortfall in funding contributions.

In February, President Ali Abdullah Saleh stepped down in response to months of protests that paralysed Yemen’s political system.

Islamist militants have taken advantage of the upheaval to seize parts of the southern province of Abyan, now considered a stronghold of al-Qaeda in the Arabian peninsula (AQAP).

In addition, the government is grappling with Shia Houthi rebels in the north of the country.

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UAE Olympic team exempted from Ramadan fast

salama — Thu, 24 May 2012 10:42:51 +0000

Ramadan coinciding with London Olympics heightens challenge for Muslim sportspersons

By: Allaam Ousman with Agencies

UAE Olympic football team coach Mahdi Ali outlining his preparations for the London Games. (PATRICK CASTILLO)

The UAE Olympic football team has been exempted from fasting during Ramadan as the holy month coincides with the upcoming London Olympic Games.

“There will be no pressure on the players to fast since the Grand Mufti of Dubai Sheikh Ahmed Al Haddad had said players who do not fast can make up by fasting in the period following the games,” UAE’s Olympic football coach Mahdi Ali, told this website.

“The ball is in the players’ court.

“We will not force any player to break his fast, but I think they know what to do, the responsibility is on them and they will take the right decision,” he said.

However, Ali criticised the timing of the games in London as being “unfair” to Muslim athletes across the world, because it coincided with Ramadan.

“It is unfair to all Muslim athletes and they (International Olympic Committee) should have thought about the fact that the Games will be held during the holy month of Ramadan, because around 3,000 athletes at the Games will be Muslim,” said Ali whose team created history by qualifying for the first time for Olympics.

The UAE football team has been drawn in Group A alongside, Great Britain, Senegal and Uruguay.

Ali maintained it was not fair for Muslim athletes by drawing a comparison to one car running on a full tank and the other competing on a half tank.

Fasting is expected to begin on July 21.

The UAE football team will start their campaign against the South Americans on July 26 at Manchester United’s Old Trafford.

UAE will also be represented in athletics, weightlifting and shooting at the London Games.

MUSCLE POWER, SPIRITUAL STRENGTH

Medical experts say that, theoretically at least, a reduction of food intake during Ramadan could deplete an athlete’s liver and muscle glycogen stores.

This is likely to lead to a drop in performance, particularly in sports requiring muscle strength.

Foreseeing potential problems and working far ahead of time, the International Olympic Committee’s (IOC) nutrition working group convened a meeting in 2009 to review the evidence.

They came to the conclusion that Ramadan fasting could be problematic for some athletes in some sports, but the likely overall impact of Ramadan on London 2012 is far from clear.

Ronald Maughan, a sports scientist from Britain’s Loughborough University who chaired the IOC working group, agrees some physical changes are likely.

However, he also noted that observing the Muslim holy month involves mental and spiritual discipline, the effects of which should not be underestimated.

“Some individual Muslim athletes say they perform better during Ramadan even if they are fasting because they’re more intensely focused and because it’s a very spiritual time for them,” he told Reuters.

“Their faith gives them strength and Ramadan is an integral part of that faith.”

Maughan led a team of scientists who reviewed more than 400 research articles on Ramadan and selected those relevant to sporting performance.

They found that “actual responses vary quite widely, depending on culture and the individual’s level and type of athletic involvement”.

“There are often small decreases of performance, particularly in activities requiring vigorous and/or repetitive muscular contraction,” the team wrote in the review, published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine (BJSM) this month.

But they concluded that in most situations “Ramadan observance has had only limited adverse consequences for either training or competitive performance”.

ENDURANCE

Still, experts say Azizul and Fatehah’s concerns, that fasting could dim their chances of standing on the podium at the end of their competition, are well-founded.

Jim Waterhouse, a sport and exercise science professor at Liverpool John Moores University in Britain, laments that so few studies have been done that give direct insight into how Ramadan-observing athletes may fare during the Olympics.

Het suggests looking at other similar research on fasting, such as in soccer players, or in people who are sporty but non-athletes.

A study in the BJSM in 2007 which looked at two Algerian professional soccer teams found that players’ performance declined significantly for speed, agility, dribbling speed and endurance during the Ramadan fast.

Nearly 70 per cent of the players thought their training and performance were adversely affected.

Another study published in the BJSM in 2010 concluded that “Ramadan fasting had an adverse effect on performance, albeit small in magnitude, during 60 minutes of endurance treadmill running” by moderately trained Muslim men.

“It depends on the sport,” says Azizul. “If you come from skilled sport it doesn’t matter, but we (cyclists) require quite a lot of energy. I did try fasting last year during training.

“For the first one or two days it’s not really a huge decrease of performance, but after that I felt really flat.”

GETTING THE TIMING RIGHT

Some experts have wondered whether changing the timing of some events might be a way forward.

A Muslim 100 metres runner who is observing Ramadan and whose race is in the early part of the morning is unlikely to be particularly badly affected if he or she has been able to eat and drink up until sunrise, for example.

“But suppose you’re a decathlete and your competition starts first thing in the morning and ends at 8pm. With no food or drink in that time, that’s a long hard day, especially if it’s hot,” said Maughan.

Waterhouse notes that with many non-Muslim athlete also taking part in London 2102, and with peak television viewing times a key factor in scheduling events, changing timetables to accommodate Ramadan would be “fraught with difficulty”.

For now, his core advice would be to follow Azizul and Fatehah’s lead and postpone fasting until after the event.

“It’s very difficult to see that a person who is a strong adherent to Ramadan could maintain a proper programme of preparation for something as important as an Olympic event while fasting,” he said. “It just doesn’t fit in with the physiology.”

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UK: Leicester has elected its first Muslim Mayor

salama — Thu, 24 May 2012 10:28:55 +0000

by Soeren Kern

Leicester, one of the most rapidly Islamizing cities in England, has elected its first-ever Muslim mayor.

Abdul Razak Osman, an Indian-origin Muslim who was born in Kenya and who immigrated to Britain in 1971, was sworn into office during an elaborate investiture ceremony at the Leicester City Hall on May 18.

Osman’s election reflects the growing influence of Muslims on local politics in Leicester. At his swearing-in ceremony, Osman declared: “I’m proud to be the first Muslim councillor to hold the position. We’ve had Christian, Hindu, and Sikh and now I’m able to bring the Islamic faith to the office, which is a great honor.”

Leicester, an industrial city some 70 minutes north of London, is often promoted as Britain’s quintessential multicultural success story. Immigrants currently make up nearly one-half the city’s total population of 280,000, and Leicester is on the fast-track to become the first non-white majority city in British history. Many of the immigrants are of South Asian origin; and Leicester — once known as a center for manufacturing shoes and textiles — is now known for its many Hindu, Sikh and Muslim places of worship.

But a sharp rise in Muslim immigration in recent years is upsetting the city’s ethnic balance, and is casting doubt upon the city’s multicultural future.

After Christians and Hindus, Muslims are the third-largest faith group in Leicester. The city’s Muslim population is estimated to be between 11% and 14% (or somewhere between 30,000 and 40,000 Muslims), which is well above the percentage (4.6) of Muslims in Britain as a whole.

The Muslim population in Leicester is made up mainly of Indians, Pakistanis and Bangladeshis, as well as Turks, Somalis, Kenyans and Ugandans. According to the Ummah Forum, “you’d really like Leicester if you want to be around a large population of Muslims.”

Muslim immigration has led to the proliferation of mosques in Leicester, which now has more than 200 mosques and madrassas [Islamic religious schools] and hundreds of informal Islamic prayer rooms located in basements, garages and warehouses.

Leicester is also home to several mega-mosques. The Leicester Central Mosque complex has a capacity for nearly 3,000 worshippers. It also has a school, a community hall, a residence hall for imams, a mortuary and a guest house. The huge Masjid Umar mosque has four towering minarets and a grand dome that displays Arabic calligraphy from the Koran.

The most influential Muslim in Leicester is Shaykh Abu Yusuf Riyadh-ul-Haq, a hardline Muslim cleric who runs theAl Kawthar Academy, a well-known Islamic school in the city. Ul-Haq, 41, is also the leader of a new generation of “home-grown” British Islamists who loathe Western values, support armed Jihad and preach contempt for Christians, Jews and Hindus.

Ul-Haq, who preaches in mosques across Britain, outlaws television and music, and says football is “a cancer that has infected our youth.” He is appalled by young women who want to get educated and go to university. He regularly praises the work of the Taliban and their attacks against British troops in Afghanistan.

In a typical sermon, entitled “Imitating the Disbelievers,” ul-Haq warns British Muslims of the danger of being corrupted by the “evil influence” of Western culture. He also heaps scorn on Muslims who say they are “proud to be British,” and argues that friendship with a Christian or a Jew makes “a mockery of Allah’s religion.”

In another sermon called “Jewish Fundamentalism,” Ul-Haq says: “They’re all the same. The Jews don’t have to be in Israel to be like this. It doesn’t matter whether they’re in New York, Houston, St Louis, London, Birmingham, Bradford and Manchester. They’re all the same. They’ve monopolized everything: the Holocaust, God, money, interest, usury, the world economy, the media, political institutions […] they monopolized tyranny and oppression as well. And injustice.”

Ul-Haq’s sermons are broadcast to thousands of listeners on Radio Ramadhan Leicester in Urdu, Gujarati, Punjabi, Bengali, Somali, Arabic and English.

According to American diplomatic cables that were obtained and published by the website Wikileaks, Leicester is home to the most conservative Islamic population anywhere in Europe.

A leaked diplomatic cable recounts the October 2007 visit to Leicester by Farah Pandith, the U.S. State Department’s Senior Advisor for Muslim Engagement. The stated purpose of the visit was for the U.S. government to find ways to help Britain “update and improve” its approach to stopping “home-grown” Islamic extremists. The document says Pandith found the lack of integration of the Muslim community in Leicester to be “striking.”

Among other observations, the cable states that Pandith was shocked to find “girls as young as four years old were completely covered.” The document continues: “At a local book store, texts… seemed designed to segregate Muslims from their wider community, urging women to cover themselves and remain in their homes, playing up the differences between Islam and other religions, seeking to isolate Muslims from community, and feeding hate of Jews to the young.”

The cable also recounts a discussion Pandith had with religious and community leaders at an Ahmadiyya (an Asian Islamic sect) mosque: “Yaqub Khan, General Secretary of a local organization called the Pakistan Association, insisted that he had to teach young people in Urdu. When Pandith challenged him as to why he would use Urdu with children who were growing up with English as their first language, Khan insisted that there were no good books on the Koran in English.”

Leicester is also notorious for having the fourth-highest rate of unemployment in Britain. Moreover, the city has very high rates of illiteracy, and ranks as one of the worst five municipalities in England for education.

A recent survey, entitled “Muslims in Leicester,” says that Muslims in the city are especially prone to underachievement and unemployment. The report says the inner city Spinney Hills neighborhood, which has the highest percentage of Muslims in Leicester, is also the ward with the lowest rate of full-time employment, the highest rate of unemployment, the highest level of economic inactivity, the highest percentage of “no qualifications” for work and the highest level of social housing.

Muslims are now demanding political power within the Leicester city council, as well as the freedom to wear their religious dress at work and to have halal food in the city hospitals. They are also seeking their own faith-based schools.

One such school, the Leicester Islamic Academy – where female students wear the full-length dress and head-covering and the boys wear black robes and skullcaps — has been accused by the British government of promoting Islamic separatism. Another state-run Islamic school in Leicester, the Madani High School, has run afoul of government regulators for reneging on its promise that 10% of its pupils would be non-Muslim.

The British government has tried — unsuccessfully — to reverse the tide of Islamic separatism in Leicester. In June 2008, for example, the city hosted the first in a series of road shows designed to tackle the problem of honor-based violence. Leicester has been plagued by forced marriages, kidnappings, physical and mental abuse of women, and other honor-based crimes against those who have not, according to family and local community members, conformed to religious or cultural expectations.

Trevor Phillips, the former head of the Commission for Racial Equality, has warned that Britain is “sleepwalking to segregation.” In a speech in Manchester, he said: “Segregation is now so extreme in some schools that there is not much farther it can go. It does not help to prepare children in these schools for the real world.” Phillips also described cities like Leicester as “literal black holes into which nobody goes without fear and trepidation and from which nobody ever escapes undamaged.”

Alluding to the transformation of cities like Leicester, Michael Nazir-Ali, a former bishop of the Church of England, has lamented that Islamic extremists have turned parts of Britain into no-go areas for non-Muslims. Lashing out at the spread of religious separatism and the damage caused by the doctrine of multiculturalism, Nazir-Ali has also warned against the acceptance of Islamic Sharia law in Britain, and has criticized amplified calls to prayer from mosques, which he says are imposing an Islamic character on many British towns and cities.

Leicester’s motto is Semper Eadem: “Always the Same.” But Osman’s promotion to city mayor implies that life in Leicester is fast changing.

Soeren Kern is Senior Fellow for European Politics at the Madrid-based Grupo de Estudios

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Event: Experts gather to harness Saudi Arabia’s tourism potential

salama — Thu, 24 May 2012 10:02:06 +0000

Riyadh, May 25^th- Tourism’s contribution to Saudi Arabia’s GDP in 2011 was over 7.2 percent, and the sector employed 670,000 staff – with 26 per cent Saudisation.[1] As per the latest report by Saudi Commission for Tourism and Antiquities (SCTA), Saudi Arabia is expected to receive 88 million visitors by 2020 with religious tourism alone accounting for around 16 million travellers by 2014.

These predictions have led to a growth in the number of hotel rooms to be built in the Makkah region. Many hotel development companies are announcing their projects – including Abdul Latif Jameel Real Estate Investment Company – which is investing US$ 3.2 billion, making it a major hospitality development project in Makkah expected to provide 8,500 rooms.[2]

The Kingdom Hotel Expansion Summit, themed ‘harnessing a thriving future for the Saudi hospitality industry’ and being organised by leading French business information firm naseba, commences tomorrow in Riyadh to address the Kingdom’s increasing tourism requirements.

The summit discusses the role of Saudi Arabia as an important regional hub for hospitality development and hosts international experts and speakers from the sector. It addresses issues including hospitality as a foundation for economic growth, energy management, and food and beverage trends. Its timeliness was confirmed by Christophe Landais, Managing Director at Accor Middle East, who noted his pleasure at attending the event for the second year running, highlighting that it is “the perfect platform to showcase Accor Middle East’s growing hotel portfolio in the Kingdom.”

Several hospitality solution providers including IDIS, Schneider Electric and Philips are delivering keynote presentations on innovative and upcoming products. Tomorrow’s first session discusses the hospitality industry outlook with an opening panel discussion on how hospitality can act as a foundation for economic growth and how businesses are embracing this change. The discussion involves detailed viewpoints from the perspectives of government, owner and operator.

Many hoteliers, including Hilton and Nobu hospitality, are expected to announce the details of their upcoming projects in several press conferences being organised in conjunction with this initiative. Christophe Landais added “we have five committed properties in the pipeline: ibis Riyadh Olaya Street (2012), ibis Yanbu (2013), ibis Jeddah Malik Road (2014), Adagio Jeddah Malik Road (2014) and Novotel Jizan (2015). The Saudi market continues to be an important market … and we are fully supportive of Saudi Arabia’s travel, tourism and hospitality industry”.

Fabien Faure, naseba’s Managing Director, added “our hospitality summits are increasingly becoming the preferred platform among major hoteliers to announce upcoming projects as well as source global suppliers. We are looking at over 300 hoteliers, developers and executive chefs attending the summit making it one of the most popular gatherings for decision makers in the Middle East.”

The two-day summit will take place on May 26^thand 27^that the InterContinental Hotel in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

For media information, please call Ardaman Sidhu on +9714 367 1383 or email ardamans@naseba.com

[1]http://www.menafn.com/menafn/1093514999/Tourism-Contribution-to-Saudi-GDP-More-than-72-Percent

[2]http://www.ttgmena.com/Tourism-and-hotel-investments-announced-for-Saudi-Arabia/

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Thailand: Yingluck upbeat on food industry export prospects

salama — Thu, 24 May 2012 08:12:39 +0000

Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra has expressed confidence the Thai food industry will remain the country’s top revenue earner despite any impact the euro-zone crisis may have.

Ms Yingluck tastes dried fruit after attending the opening of Thaifex — World of Food Asia 2012 at Impact Muang Thong Thani yesterday. The fair runs until Sunday. THITI WANNAMONTHA

She said yesterday that the demand for food products in international markets has continuously increased since the beginning of this year and this consumption will help to push up growth in almost all categories.

This year’s revenue from food exports excluding major commodities such as rice and sugar is estimated at US$28 billion, up by 12% from last year.

“This is a very promising sign for both the production and export sectors. Now is the time for them to make the most of this business opportunity,” she said at the opening of Thaifex _ World of Food Asia 2012.

Organisers expect the five-day event ending on Sunday will fetch US$420 million.

Ms Yingluck said the Thai government has a standing policy of positioning Thailand as the Kitchen of the World.

Thai agricultural and food products are highlighted, while foreign investment in the local farm sector is promoted vigorously.

“This initiative creates added value for not only our agricultural sector, but also the industrial and service sectors,” she said.

Commerce Minister Boonsong Teriyapirom said the euro-zone crisis is a major concern.

His ministry will discuss the issue with Kittiratt Na-Ranong, a deputy prime minister and finance minister, in order to minimise the impact against Thailand, he said.

Mr Boonsong said the EU’s economic woes will likely affect Thai shipments and prompting the Commerce Ministry to adjust export strategies.

A greater focus on Asean markets is possible in order to ensure this year’s growth target of 15%.

Phongsak Assakul, chairman of the Thai Chamber of Commerce, said he supports the govenment’s policy of standardising the quality of Thai food sold abroad.

Promoting food ingredient exports is an effective way of beefing up taste, he said.

Mr Phongsak said he also encourages the government and food processors to concentrate more on making halal food in order to tap into Asean’s Muslim consumers, which number more than 250 million.

In fact, the overall Asean population of 601 million is a good alternative to ailing Europe as well, he added.

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Opinion: When ‘separated twins’ reunite

salama — Tue, 22 May 2012 12:59:08 +0000

Islamic finance and halal industry are twins separated at birth and now are reuniting (converging) after 1,400 years.

Halal industry, as an asset class, is looking for compliant liquidity. Islamic finance, as a movement connected to the real economy, is looking for impactful intra-OIC (compliant) investment and financing opportunities.

The convergence is happening in real time, and one of the “leaders” in the reunification is a strong-willed pioneering woman, Jumaatun (Juju) Azmi, founder and managing director of KasheDia.

Question: Please explain the link between KasheDia, International Halal Alliance (IHI) and World Halal Forum (WHF).

Jumaatun: KasehDia is a private company formed by myself back in 1999 to offer contemporary communication solutions for Islamic concepts. One of our products is the World Halal Forum (WHF) whose inaugural event was in 2006. It was in that same year that the IHI was formed following a resolution passed by the delegates. As of 2011, the ownership of WHF has been transferred to IHI, so that it maintains a non-profit non-governmental organisation status.

Question: Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak has spoken about a halal economy, how is your group leading the efforts?

Jumaatun: KasehDia, in leveraging our in-depth knowledge of the global halal industry, was able to assist the government of Malaysia in formulating the chapter on halal industry in the Third Industrial Master Plan. In addition to promoting the halal products sector, the WHF has always sought to widen the realm of halal to include services and the ancillary industries, such as training, laboratory testing and logistics. A key component in a halal economy is Islamic finance and we started the convergence conversation and integration actions of halal products and services sector few years ago.

Question: In Islamic finance, there are international industry bodies, like AAOIFI (Accounting and Auditing Organisation for Islamic Financial Institutions), IFSB (Islamic Financial Services Board), etc, halal industry does yet have one, what is your organisation doing?

Jumaatun: The WHF gave birth to the IHI Alliance, which is envisioned to be the global authority to fill the gap. Through its strategic partnership, IHI Alliance has already obtained a mandate from the OIC to develop a global comprehensive programme for the halal sector, which includes harmonising standards and certification practices. It is working closely with all stakeholders, especially the relevant importing authorities and industry players.

Question: What are the hot button issues in halal industry today?

Jumaatun: The recurring theme is need for standardisation in a fragmented market, much like in Islamic finance. Some of the issues include stunning, mechanical slaughter and use of animal-based gelatin. There are also the debates between activist groups, acting in the name of animal welfare, pitted against halal (and kosher) over the notion of what is known as “religious slaughter.” This essentially means slaughter without the prior use of a device or method to render the animal unconscious. This has become a hot issue in Europe and spilled over into the political area in Holland, France, etc.

Question: How has the WHF evolved since its inception event in 2006?

Jumaatun: During the early days of WHF, we managed to bring the concept of halal from the purely religious realm to the talk of industry, multinational corporations and seemingly unrelated sector players. We framed it in a different context and introduced new ideas and service sectors that are very much part of the whole halal ecosystem. We moved towards addressing the immediate issue of standardisation!

However, we soon became less idealistic and more realistic as the Ummah is a globally diverse community. We realised that a single standard cannot be imposed on 1.6 billion Muslims everywhere. Hence, we refined our approach to be more practical. Simply put, to establish a robust system where the halal certification industry adheres to internationally accepted standards of professionalism and transparency. This has been the task of IHI Alliance.

Question: The WHF 2012 just ended, what were the highlights of the event?

Jumaatun: In line with evolving themes, from perception of a business forum, WHF 2012 was focused more on the important stakeholder: the consumer. This year, we introduced creativity in the form of literary arts, visual arts, entertainment and media. We wanted to show a softer side of Islam that is inspiring, innovative and beautiful with universal appeal to both Muslims and non-Muslims. The topic of social justice was discussed in the light of the current financial impacting the “have nots”. It was encouraging to see solutions lie with Islamic instruments, such as zakat, waqf, gold dinar and so on.

Question: Why is there more emphasis on halal in Malaysia than in Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries?

Jumaatun: Malaysia is very much a pluralistic society with a 60 per cent Muslim population and the Muslim community is conscious of the non-halal products in the food supply chain.

The era of industrialisation in Malaysia, 1980s and 1990s, had the effect of creating a Malay middle class with increased purchasing power. Therefore, businesses in the food and hospitality services sectors were compelled by market forces to provide a halal offering. The momentum of this development has been continuing from the tabling of a trade description act on halal in 1972 to the introduction of halal certification in 1994 to the first integrated halal conference and expo in 2006.

In the GCC and other Muslim countries, where more than 90 per cent of the population is Muslims, halal is taken for granted. The seeds of awareness have barely been planted in these countries. Today, 54 out of the 57 member states of the OIC have no form of legislation to regulate halal. Hence, they need to catch up with Malaysia and we are doing our part in assisting.

Question: Why do you think there is minimal Islamic financing in the halal industry?

Jumaatun: The halal industry was previously not identified as an asset class. Islamic finance providers would more likely view the firms’ underlying industry sector, e.g. food, agriculture, personal care, logistics etc as the determining profile. Conversely, those companies already involved in the halal sector are not compelled to adopt Islamic finance. Around 80 per cent of companies producing halal products are controlled by non-Muslims. There is no religious impetus. Even in Malaysia, which has one of the most mature Islamic finance industries, the penetration rate is less than 40 per cent. Conventional financing is well established and halal producing firms tend to be averse to switching unless there are substantial economic or monetary benefits.

Question: At the WHF 2011, the world’s first halal food index, SAMI Halal Food Index, was launched and witnessed by the former prime minister, Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi. Is it a beginning of convergence between halal industry and Islamic finance?

Jumaatun: The launch had an impact for both the halal industry and Islamic finance. We had always been talking about the convergence theory, but this was the first time that it materialised into something tangible – an index. WHF and others had been promoting the halal sector as a growth sector, even catching the attention of mainstream media including Forbes, Time and the Economist magazines. The tracking of the SAMI index’s stellar performance quantified and empirically proved what we had been saying all along.

Question: The SAMI index is about inward and intra-OIC investments as the companies are only from Muslim countries. How can Malaysia Inc lead halal as an asset class, like it has in Islamic finance?

Jumaatun: For starters, Malaysia can claim a fair amount of credibility as leader because Malaysian-listed companies constitute almost half the total market capitalisation of the SAMI index. Malaysia offers probably the most comprehensive range of Islamic financial products. When coupled with the slew of incentives that are further reinforced in the Second Capital Markets Masterplan, the “conversion” of the balance sheets, visa sukuk, of halal industry players to become syariah-compliant is facilitated. Malaysia already leads in Islamic finance as well as thought leadership in the halal sector, so naturally it can lead in propagating halal as an investment asset class.

Question: Finally, what have been your major accomplishments and what are the remaining major challenges for you?

Jumaatun: There is still so much to be done, but we have made some impact through our efforts. Through our various communication channels including guidebooks, magazines, TV shows, awards and events, we have managed to draw the world’s attention to halal as an industry.

The figure of US$580 billion (estimated annual value of the halal food sector in 2005) was first introduced at WHF 2006, and quoted in articles in mainstream media was a solid beginning. My favourite was seeing halal on the cover of Time magazine. It would be rather presumptuous for us to claim credit for all worldwide milestones, but the WHF was the catalyst for a series of events and achievements. For example, halal themed conferences and exhibitions have become global, from Brussels to Bangkok. Halal meat exporters from Australia and New Zealand have enacted new regulations to improve the integrity of their halal production. Greenfield countries fast-tracked to set up halal certification bodies to address demand from importing Muslim majority countries.

At the same time, IHI Alliance has worked tirelessly trying to bring some orders to the global industry. Eight modules of the ICCI-IHI Alliance halal standard have been published – each one providing sector specific requirements for every part of the halal supply chain. IHI’s membership now includes over 50 halal certification bodies in 36 countries covering six continents. The halal lead auditors training course, which has been rolled out over the last two years, seeks to harmonise halal certification practices.

Yet, there is so much more that needs to be achieved. We already talked about 45 out of the 57 OIC countries are still without a halal standards. In Europe, more than 20 million Muslim consumers have no legal recourse to ensure the integrity of their dietary requirements in the absence of even a basic labelling law. The general level of auditing and certification processes have yet to conform to internationally accepted norms.

We did not expect to be able to solve all the key issues in seven years and we cannot do it alone. For our efforts to be effective, we need the cooperation of all stakeholders, including the relevant importing authorities.

Rushdi Siddiqui is Thomson Reuters’ Global Head of Islamic Finance based in New York.

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USA: Muslims on Wall Street: Pragmatic over Dogmatic

salama — Mon, 21 May 2012 12:25:23 +0000

By Rushdi Siddiqui

The New York Stock Exchange – Muslims working in non-Muslim countries do understand work is for work, even in Islamic finance, and informed non-Muslim colleagues understand basic tenets of Islam.

The New York Times recently interviewed several American Muslims, including me, working in the financial arena for the article, “Muslims on Wall Street, Bridging Two Traditions.” It explored two ‘conflicts’: Muslims working in conventional finance may encounter ‘interest’ against their faith, and challenges of abiding by Islamic ‘traditions’ in a secular workplace.

Today, it seems to an outsider, the burning issues for Muslims on Wall Street include prayer breaks, fasting and productivity, bonding after-office drinks, shaking a woman’s hand wearing a hijab, and structuring instruments dealing with (the prohibited) interest.

This cannot be what Muslims are about. Also, more credit must be given to working non-Muslim colleagues on understanding Muslim sensitivities.

Common Shared Values

Muslims, like other people with strong beliefs, do not see themselves exclusively focused on or defined by such issues. Islam has spread throughout the world because of its dynamic nature, where it influences local customs and is ‘influenced’ by the older local culture.

Religion is a private matter and it’s looked upon as foundation for building inner discipline and external strength to address challenging situations. People of faith, like their secular colleagues, want to climb the corporate ladder and break the glass ceiling to get to the executive floor, if not the corner office. Muslims have been on Wall Street and High Street for many years, if not decades, and it’s only now they are being noticed. The difference between then and now is there are more Muslims in the financial sector and non-Muslim colleagues know more about Islam because of a combination of internet, 24-7 news, 9/11, documentaries, Dubai’s accomplishments, Islamic finance and personalities like His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai.

It should be noted that many Muslims were involved in the Occupy Wall Street movement because of common shared values. In the New York Times article there are two quotes that best summarise how Muslims, residing in
a non-Muslim country such as the US, should think about and approach a place of work and perception of fellow workers. “I think Muslim professionals are too sensitive and underestimate our co-workers,” comments a consultant in the article.

“Seek the opportunities and firms that speak to their set of values, expertise and passion,” said Mohammad Al Arian, CEO of Pimco.

Just as an employer interviews a potential employee, the latter also needs to interview the former.

I have worked at two multinational companies in the US, heading their Islamic finance business, in New York. First at Dow Jones Indexes for 10 years and now at Thomson Reuters.

A common denominator for international companies is their diverse employee base due to extensive international presence, including many Muslim countries. The corporate culture in these companies reflects common shared values formalised in codes of ethics. Thus, these companies understand ‘sensitivities’, and have high expectations of all employees.

As Muslims working in the West we do have a tendency to initially “underestimate our co-workers” in understanding our rituals (prayers, fasting, etc.), and our prohibitions (alcohol). While it could be attributed to many things, such as prejudices, with time there is a mutual understanding and respect.

The New York Times article used examples of Muslims finding places for praying during working hours or Friday prayers, and fasting during Ramadan. The article should have taken this one step further, and asked the Muslim worker about non-Muslim colleagues fasting or visiting a mosque.

Most, if not all, of us have non-Muslim colleagues who have fasted, some partially (till lunch time) and others until sunset. One of the great attributes of Americans is they like challenges, and will push the envelope of endurance. Others have visited mosques, and made observations such as “nothing fancy inside”, “where are the stained glass windows, pews, gold crescent and star?”

Maybe the article should have interviewed non-Muslims working in senior positions in Islamic finance in Saudi Arabia, the UAE or Malaysia on drinking alcohol, shaking hands with conservative women, breaking meetings for prayer time and so on. As senior executives, they are deemed ambassadors of the Islamic financial institution, and it does imply abiding by a certain level of Islamic code of conduct in public places.

Bottomline

The bottomline is that there is understanding and respect for rituals as long as teamwork, quality and deliverables are not compromised.

Muslims working in non-Muslim countries do understand work is for work, even in Islamic finance, and informed non-Muslim colleagues understand basic tenets of Islam. Muslims need to continue taking a pragmatic,
over dogmatic, approach to finding the balance between faith and finance.

This article was originally published in Gulf News. Siddique is the Global Head of Islamic Finance and OIC Countries at Thomson Reuters.

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Tunisia keen to invest in Malaysia

salama — Sun, 20 May 2012 20:04:39 +0000

The Republic of Tunisia is keen to invest in Malaysia given its large market potential and the fact that Europe was currently facing an economic crisis, says Second Finance Minister Datuk Seri Husni Hadanzlah.

“They see this opportunity and want their companies to set up base here.

“Their chamber of commerce will identify 30 large companies which Malaysian companies can forge ties with,” he said.

Husni was recently on a two-day working visit to the republic, beginning May 14, which was part of the Member Country Partnership Strategy programme initiated between Malaysia and the Islamic Development Bank.

Under the programme, Tunisia and Malaysia exchange expertise and experience in the financial sector and Islamic banking.

“Tunisia is relevant to Islamic banking. There are five countries under the programme namely Tunisia, Libya, Mauritania, Morocco and Algeria.

“There is market of 90 million people and they find the halal industry relevant to them. These countries are a ready platform for us to export our halal products to Europe,” he said.

On another development, Husni said Malaysia was finalising an offer to cooperate, via Bank Negara Malaysia, to provide Islamic banking services in Europe which has a Muslim population of about 22 million people. — Bernama

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UAE: 10th Annual Organic Show, MENOPE 2012

salama — Sat, 19 May 2012 12:25:50 +0000

The Expo is endorsed by Dubai Municipality, Abu Dhabi Food Control Authority and International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movement (IFOAM), Germany to run at the Dubai International Convention and Exhibition Centre from November 27-29 2012

Dubai: The 10^th edition of annual organic and natural products expo, MENOPE 2012 (Middle East Natural and Organic Products Expo) is expected to attract more regional participation this year, apart from a host of global companies who have elicited enthusiasm to be part of the show.

In a statement, the organizers of MENOPE 2012, Global Links Dubai LLC, today said the Middle East’s one and only exhibition for natural, organic and halal products will run from 27-29 November this year at the Dubai International Convention and Exhibition Centre in the UAE.

“Even at this early stage of the preparations for MENOPE 2012, we have strong and enthusiastic response from both regional and global players endorsing the fact that the annual exhibition has a very strong reputation as a show which caters to the trade with a view to foster growth of this sector,” said Eng. Nadim Al Fuqaha, Managing Director, Global Links.

He said MENOPE 2012 is also looking at attracting a number of regional organic players from both the private and public sector in line with the growth the sector has witnessed over the last few years.

“There are more regional players in the organic market now as businesses realize the growth potential of the sector. We believe that the market has expanded in size as well as quality of offerings with local organic players sensing the need to cater to a sophisticated and aware consumer base with a large share of young people,” Eng. Nadim said.

The Middle East market has maintained the pace of growth of over 15 per cent CAGR in the organic products market though the base is still small and niche with potential to expand further.

“Our partners say that there is strong retail growth trend in the organic and natural products sector. Higher prices have always been a hurdle for increased uptake of products in this sector, but as the volume increases, the price line is also expected to come down. We believe that some amount of rationalization of prices is already taking place in the market, encouraging more consumers to buy organic products as they become more affordable,” said Mr. Joby Mathew, Head, Exhibitions, Global Links.

MENOPE is Middle East’s only exhibition for natural and organic products and this year over 150 exhibitors from 25 countries will take part in the niche show. The three-day expo includes the third MEVEG Conference and a conference on Traditional Complementary and Alternative Medicines.

MENOPE 2012 is endorsed by the Dubai Municipality. It is supported by International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements (IFOAM), Germany, Ministry of Agriculture Lebanon, Department of Agriculture Philippines, Agrar Marketing Austria, and National Chamber of Sri Lanka etc.

Last year there was significant country pavilion participation from Austria, India, Korea, Philippines, USA, Romania, Srilanka, Lebanon, and Taiwan. The participating countries in MENOPE 2011 included the UAE, Italy, United Kingdom, Germany, China, Thailand, Malaysia and Slovenia, Canada, among others.

MENOPE 2012 will showcase a variety of products spanning across Herbals and Spices, Food & Beverages, Cereal Products, Supplements, Health Care products, Natural Living, Natural and Organic Cosmetics, Healing Products, Natural Remedies, Traditional Medicines, Spas, Relaxation facilities, and Fabrics. More information on the event is available at www.naturalproductme.com. The organizers can also be reached at info@naturalproductme.com.

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Saudi Arabia: Grand Mosque Expansion

salama — Fri, 18 May 2012 15:04:55 +0000

Posted on May 18, 2012 by John Burgess

Saudi Arabia’s King Abdullah has been on the throne for seven years now. Saudi media is pretty busy writing up encomiums for the changes and developments he has pushed. One, particularly noteworthy, has been the expansion of the Grand Mosque in Mecca. Arab News reports that the most recent expansions are greater than all expansions before. Ever-increasing numbers of pilgrims seek to take part in the annual Haj, already the greatest annual religious gathering in the world.

Credit for biggest expansion of Haram goes to the king
Jeddah: Badr Al-Qahtani

The biggest expansion of the Grand Mosque in Makkah was carried out during the reign of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah.

In 2011, the Haram’s capacity was raised to accommodate 1.6 million worshippers, one-and-half times more than all the expansions put together in the mosque’s history. This latest expansion cost SR 80 billion and is part of Makkah’s many development projects, including work on the mosque’s central zone and surrounding areas.

Speaking on the seventh anniversary of King Abdullah’s accession to throne, Dr. Muhammad Bin Nasser, vice president of the Presidency of the Two Holy Mosques Affairs, said developing the mosque’s area is an ongoing project.

“Every year the Grand Mosque witnesses more development in the services provided to visitors. This year, the King Abdullah Expansion Project is being carried out.

It includes the latest and most sophisticated electrical and mechanical systems. The expansion is linked to the first Saudi expansion and to the masaa (running area between Safaa and Marwaa) via several bridges. A new system of elevators and escalators is being installed,” he said.
…

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