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Civis Britannia sum. A legal essay by Ahmad Thomson, page 22
EDITORIALBy Abu Bakr Rieger.
COVER STORYFar from retiring: Dr. Mahathir bin Mohamad.
FINANCEDollar on a downward spiral. Seven countries that mayabandon the US dollar.
INTERVIEWMother of all money? Conversation about thefinancial system.
MARKETSHalal market analysis. The industry is undergoing a shift.
LAWCivis Britannia sum. A legal essay by Ahmad Thomson.
WORLDEURASIAThe Western Balkans. An assesment by the European Union.Muslims in Croatia. Interview with Mufti Sevko Omerbasic.
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Freiburg attracts many tourists, page 54
CONCEPTANDEDITORIAL
WORLDGLOBALModern polit ics. On the polit ical consequences of terrorism.
GERMANYForced to change. An evaluation of Muslim organisations.
INTERVIEWAl-Andalus shines on. The new Mosque of Granada in focus.
MEDIALeagues ahead. Germany: Islamische Zeitungleads the discourse.
CULTUREThe poets and Islam. A Muslim perspectiveon European t hought.
LITERATUREA visit to Globalia. On the famous bookby Jean-Christophe Rufin.
TRAVELPearl of the Black Forest. Europe is to be found in itssmaller cities.
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CHIEF EDITORAbu Bakr Rieger
PUBLISHERIZMedien GmbHBeilsteinerstr. 121
12681 BerlinGermany
ASSOCIATE EDITORSulaiman Wilms
DISTRIBUTIONIZMedien GmbH
PRINTINGmsk marketingservicekln
GLOBALIA Magazine reserves theright to shorten letters. Readersletters, guest articles and quotationsdo not necessarily represent the
opinions of the Editors, nor doarticles by named authors.
PHONE+49 (0)30 240 48974
MOBILE+49 (0)179 967 8018
FAX+49 (0)30 240 48975
WEBSITEwww.globaliamagazine.com
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EDITORIAL
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EDITORIAL
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Dear Readers,
We are very pleased to present to you our new
magazine, which is published in Berlin:
GLOBALIA Magazine.
After some preparation we are finally ready
to launch a media project consisting of
tradit ional printed publications, a creative
website, and a progressive multimedia
offering.
Together with some new partners we hope
to build a strong place in the market for this
truly global magazine over the course of 2008.
The world is in constant change, and to
understand the way it is today we have to
think i n global terms. The extraordinarytechnical achievements of recent years have
expanded our horizons,yet they also threaten
our freedom, our tradit ions and our cultural
distinctions. The relationship between
economics and politics has also changed
dramatically over the past decades.The new
models which seek to explain our situation
be it the meaning of our lives, our cultures,
or our sciences must take a complete view.
GLOBALIA strives to indicate some of these
new views and ideas.
The new models which seek to explain our
situation be it the meaning of our lives, our
cult ures, or our sciences must take a complete
view. GLOBALIA strives to indicate some of these
new views and ideas.
EDITORIAL
BY ABU BAKR RIEGER
a sinister world in which everything was
forbidden. In 2004 the French author Jean-
Christophe Rufin published a similarly eerienovel entitled Globalia. In Globalia, Rufin
describes a world devoid of history in which,
he explains, everything is allowed.Rufin is one
of the great European thinkers who, in the age
of technology, sees not only politi cal
sovereignty threatened, but human freedom
itself. At a literary fair in Cologne, Rufin was
asked where he saw hope for the human
species.The Frenchmans simple answer was,
We need a Book.
I hope you enjoy this and the forthcoming
Issues of GLOBALIA Magazine.
Warmest regards,
Abu Bakr Rieger
Editor
People make history. Trade between people
brings peace. One of our aims is to stimulate
discussion between the elites who trade
globally.We wil l examine especially the points
of view of important business-people,thinkers
and artists from the new urban centres of
this world such as Berlin, Istanbul, Dubai and
Kuala Lumpur.
Our editorial objective, and with that our journalistic goal, is to portray the latest
developments on the great continents. As
Muslims we will of course be observing the
new, constructive role that Muslims have to
play.
In this Issue we acknowledge the work of
one of Asias great polit ical figures, Dr.
Mahathir bin Mohamad. The success he
brought Malaysia is undisputed. His effortsto defend its political sovereignty against t he
machinations of global speculation deserve
a review for t hey too are a story of success.
Like Tayyib Erdogan, the similarly successful
Turkish Prime Minister, Mahathir has often
defended Islam against false accusations.
Neither polit ician would accept the idea that
terrorism can be Islamic .
When the visionary George Orwell published
his famous future-novel 1984, he described
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COVER STORY
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into the country. He ensured that Malaysia
was able to develop quickly and at the same
time remain stable. The analyst considersMahathirs greatest service to be his attempt
to build up international relations. Mahathir,
continues Chandra, was always active on
behalf of people who were oppressed,
whether in Palestine, Bosnia or Iraq. During
the Balkan War Malaysia stood f irmly at the
side of the persecuted Muslims.
Though some years have passed since he left
power, Mahathirs advice is stil l soughtthroughout the world. He does not leave
Istanbul before meeting in private with Turkish
Prime Minister Tayyib Erdogan. The two
Muslim politicians may belong to different
generations, but they both embody the
possibility of a meeting between Islam and
modernity.Both agree that Islamic terrorism
is nothing but a cynical neologism. Muslim
terrorists may exist, but, both are convinced,
there certainly can be no Islamic terrorism.
Both of them are of the view that the Muslims
can achieve a real future only with an
economic concept, not w ith anarchic violence.
Neither politician sees a contradiction in
adhering to Islamic tradit ion while being open
to technical progress.
And indeed, Mahathirs powerful political
philosophy follows all of the categories ofreason. His thinking was put to the practical
test on at least one occasion in the economic
sphere. The assault on Malaysias national
integrity in t he 1990s was not by armies and
tanks, it was by other methods. Currency
speculators attacked the national economy
and with it the ringgit. The Prime Ministers
response was to remain cool. Mahathir
understood that it was his countrys polit ical
sovereignty that was at stake. Mahathir, a
Muslim, followed the logic of the
On the war in Iraq
What has this war gained for America and
Britain? Nothing except the unnecessary death
of American soldiers, destruction of Iraq andhigher oil prices. There is no democracy in
Iraq, for which American soldiers were
supposed to die. Invading a country today
does not end in conquest and subjugation of
the people. The occupying forces would be
continuously attacked by guerillas and
terrorists.War is no longer an option for even
the most powerful countries in the settlement
of international disputes.
An appeal to the American people, Perdana
Global Peace Initiative
On Collateral damage
If the innocent people who died in the attack
on Afghanistan and those who have been
dying from lack of food and medical care in
Iraq are considered collateral, are the 3,000
who died in New York, and the 200 in Bali
also just collateral whose deaths are necessary
for operations to succeed?
2003, speech to the Non-Aligned Movement
in Kuala Lumpur
On suicide bombings
Suicide is expressly forbidden in Islam. It is
a grave sin. And the deliberate killing of
innocent civilians is either murder or an act
of terror. We should not shy away from
accepting that. Once we have done that we
could, of course,explain and understand the
causes of suicide bombing and acts of terror.
This is not difficult to do in the case ofPalestine.
23 May 2003, Interview with Amir Taheri
On capitalism
Its quite obvious that when the Eastern Bloc
was stil l there, it was a tustle between capi-
tali sm and communism. Once communismwas defeated, capitalism could expand and
show its true self. It is no longer constrained
by the need to be nice so that people will
choose their so-called free-market system as
opposed a central ly planned system. So
because of that, nowadays there is nothing
to restrain capital, and capital is demanding
that it should be able to go anywhere and do
whatever i t likes.
1 February 2007, interview wi th t he US-
American broadcaster PBS
On currency trading
I mention all t hese because society must be
protected from unscrupulous profiteers. I know
I am taking a big risk to suggest it, but I am
saying that currency trading is unnecessary,
unproductive and immoral. It should be
stopped. It should be made illegal.We dont
need currency trading. We need to buy money
only when we want to finance real trade.
Otherwise we should not buy or sell currenciesas we sell commodities.
20 September 1997, at the annual seminar of
the World Bank in Hong Kong
Prosperity and peace
Prosperous countries, on the other hand,
are more likely to be peaceful and less of a
burden to the rest of the world. A prosper-
thy-neighbour policy would therefore give a
better return than a beggar-thy-neighbour
policy.20 September 1997, at the annual seminar of
the World Bank in Hong Kong
BEETWEEN WAR
AND FINANCESELECTED QUOTES
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COVER STORY
THE MUSLIM WORLD TODAYEXCERPTS FROM A TALK BY TUN DR. M AHATHIR BIN MOHAM AD IN ISTANBUL
That t here should be European Muslims at all
is a blessing. I believe that many Europeans
are now accepting Islam because they have
lost faith in Christianity or they themselves
feel spiritually lost. We should be happy andgrateful to Allah, subhanahu wa taala, that
there are still Europeans who are Muslim.
But there is little that is pleasing about the
present situation of European Muslims and
indeed of Islam and the Muslims generally.
Today we hear open condemnation of Islam
as a religion which promotes terrorism. (...)
We see Muslim countries being invaded and
Muslims slaughtered. And we see Muslims
and their countries unable to help or prot ect
their brot hers and sisters because they are all
weak or they do not really regard other
Muslims as their brothers. (...)
Yet we see many Muslim countries richer
then they have ever been before, richer than
even their rich detractors. We see Muslim
countries holding the key to the well-being
and prosperity of the world, but t his has not
been used in the interests of Islam and theMuslims. (...) In the midst of this wealth we
see Muslims and Muslim countries languish-
ing in poverty and misery, unable even to
feed themselves, much less to develop and
prosper their communities and nations. (...)
We see a state of denial among other Muslimswhere they claim that although they are being
oppressed and looked down upon, although
they are poverty-stricken and miserable,
actually they are better off than their
tormentors and oppressors. In fact some
contend that being miserable, poor and
oppressed is what makes them good Muslims.
(...) This is self-deception of a high degree. In
reality this world is as much for the Muslims
as it is for those of other faiths.
The question is, have we t ried? The obvious
answer is that we have not. If we look back
we must notice that the greatness of the
Islamic civilization was due to the efforts
made and work done by the early Muslims.
(...) We know that at one time the Muslims
were the most successful people. They
succeeded in building a great civilization. (...)
Muslims are certainly backward in this field.
They have become the consumers of theproducts of modern knowledge and are quite
incapable of even producing their own basic
needs. In fact even for their own defence they
have to source their weapons from the non-
Muslims.
(...) But there is also Fard al-Kifayah, which
must be performed by a member or some
members of the Muslim community. Failing
which, the whole community would bear the
sin,which the individual performance of Fard
al-Ayn cannot expiate. Thus it is incumbent
upon a Muslim community to have experts
in t he fields of defence, in agriculture and
food production, in medicine and so on, so
that the community is well provided for and
can look after its well-being.
(...) If we want Islam to be respected, to w in
support if not convert non-Muslims we
have to show that Muslims are good,
successful people. In the fi rst place we must
develop a good capacity for governing our
communities and countries. Most M uslim
countries today are not well-governed and are
not capable of development.They are largely
consumer communities or nations incapable
of industrialising and producing their modern
needs. The education standards are low and
as I said earlier they do not produce greatscholars as they did in t he past. In a fast
changing world they are not innovative,
always depending on others to come up wit h
new ideas or products which they then buy
at inflated prices.
Tun Dr.Mahathirs lecture The European
Muslims Role and Responsibility was
given at the Eurasian Symposium of the
European Muslim Union in Istanbul inJanuary 2007.
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FINANCE
It is no secret that the dollar is on a down-
ward spiral. Its value is dropping,and the Fed
isnt doing a whole lot to change that. As a
result, a number of countries are considering
a shift away from the dollar to preserve their
assets. Here are seven of the countries
currently considering a move f rom the dollar,
and how they wil l affect i ts value and the US
economy.
Saudi Arabia
The Telegraph reports that for the fi rst time,
Saudi Arabia has refused to cut interest rates
along w ith the US Federal Reserve. This is
The Greenback is losing more and more buying power.
It is no secret that the dollar is on a downward
spiral. Its value is dropping, and the Fed isnt
doing a whole lot to change that. As a result , some
countries are considering a shift away from the
dollar to preserve their assets. These states areconsidering a move from the dollar.
DOLLAR ON A DOWNWARD SPIRALSEVEN COUNTRIES THAT MAY ABANDON THE US DOLLAR
seen as a signal t hat a break from the dollar
currency peg is imminent. The kingdom is
taking appropriate measures to protect
itself from letting the dollar cause problems
for it s own economy. They are concerned
about t he threat of inflation and do not want
to deal with recessionary conditions in the
US. Hans Redeker of BNP Paribas believes
this creates a very dangerous situation for
the dollar, as Saudi Arabia alone has
management of $800 billion. Experts fearthat a break from the dollar in Saudi Arabia
could set off a stampede from the dollar
in the Middle East, a region that manages
$3,500 billion.
South Korea
In 2005, Korea announced its intention to
shift its investments to currencies of countries
other than the US. Although t hey are simply
making plans to diversify for the future, that
does not mean a large dollar drop isnt in the
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FINANCE
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works. There are whispers that the Bank of
Korea is planning to sell $1 bill ion of US bonds
in the near future, after a $100 million salethis past August.
China
After already dropping the dollar peg in 2005,
China has more trouble up its sleeve.
Currently, China is threatening a nuclear
option of huge dollar liquidation in response
to possible t rade sanctions intended to force
a yuan revaluation. Although China doesnt
want any undesirable phenomena in theglobal f inancial order, its large sum of US
dollars does serve as a bargaining chip .As
we have noted in the past, China has the
power to take the wind out of the dollar.
Venezuela
Venezuela holds litt le loyalty to the dollar. In
fact they have shown overt disapproval,
choosing to establish barter deals for oil.
These barter deals, established under HugoChavez, allow Venezuela to t rade oil wi th 12
Latin American countries and Cuba without
using the dollar, shorting the US its usual
subsidy.Chavez is not shy about this decision,
and has publicly encouraged others to adopt
similar arrangements. In 2000, Chavez
recommended to OPEC that t hey take
advantage of high-tech electronic barter and
bi-lateral exchanges of its oil with its
developing country customers, or in other
words,stop using the dollar,or even the euro,
for oil t ransactions. In September, Chavez
instructed Venezuelas state oil company
Petroleos de Venezuela SA to change its dollar
investments to euros and other currencies in
order to mitigate risk.
Sudan
Sudan is, once again, planning to convert its
dollar holdings to the euro and other
currencies. Addi t ional ly, they have
recommended commercial banks,government
departments, and private businesses to do
the same. In 1997, the Central Bank of Sudan
made a similar recommendation in response
to US sanctions from former President Clinton,
but the implementation failed. This time
around, 31 Sudanese companies have become
subject to sanctions, preventing them from
doing trade or financial transactions with the
US. Officially, the sanctions are reported to
have had litt le effect, but there are indications
that the economy is suffering due to these
restrictions.A decision t o move Sudan awayfrom the dollar is intended to allow the
country to work around these sanctions as
well as any implemented in the future.
However, a Khartoum committ ee recently
concluded that proposals for a reduced
dependence on the dollar are not feasible .
Regardless, it is clear that Sudans intent is
to attempt a break from the dollar in the
future.
Iran
Iran is perhaps the most likely candidate for
an imminent abandonment of the dollar.
Recently,Iran requested that its shipments to
Japan be traded for yen instead of dollars.
Further, Iran has plans in the works to create
an open commodity exchange called the Iran
Oil Bourse. This exchange would make it
possible to trade oil and gas in non-dollar
currencies, the euro in particular. Although
the oil bourse has missed at least three of i ts
announced opening dates, it serves to make
clear Irans intentions for the dollar. As of
October 2007, Iran receives non-dollar
currencies for 85% of its oil exports, and has
plans to move the remaining 15% to
currencies like the United Arab Emirates
dirham.
Russia
Iran is not alone in it s desire to establish an
alternative to trading oil and other
commodities in dollars. In 2006, Russian
President Vladimir Putin expressed interest in
establ ishing a Russian stock exchange which
would allow oil, gas, and other goods to be
paid for in roubles. Russias intentions are
no secret in the past, they have made it clear
that they are wary of holding t oo many dollar
reserves. In 2004, Russian Central Bank First
Deputy Chairman Alexei Ulyukayev remarked,
Most of our reserves are in dollars, and that
is a cause for concern. He went on to explain
that, after considering the dollars rate against
the euro,Russia is discussing the possibility
of changing the reserve structure. Then in
2005, Russia put an end to its dollar peg,
opting to move towards a euro alignment.
They have discussed pricing oil in euros, a
move that could produce a large shift away
from the dollar and towards the euro, as
Russia is the worlds second-largest export er.
What does this all mean?Countries are growing weary of losing money
on the falling dollar. Many of them want to
protect their f inancial interests,and a number
of them want to end the US oversight that
comes with using the dollar.Although i ts not
clear how many of these countries will actually
follow through on an abandonment of the
dollar, it is clear that its status as a world
currency is in trouble.
Obviously, an abandonment of the dollar is
bad news for the currency. Simply put, as
demand lessens,its value drops.Additionally,
the revenue generated from the use of the
dollar wi ll be sorely missed if it is lost. The
dollars status as a cheaply-produced US
export is a vital part of the American economy.
Losing this status could rock the financial
lives of both Americans and the worldwide
economy.
Text The Muslim Observer
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INTERVIEW
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Source of wealth: South African worker in a gold mine.
today is in the service of fewer and fewer
people, is used as a means for total economic
consolidation (call it globalisation) and has
successfully freed itself from the need to
satisfy any moral or ethical requirements. In
other words, the global use of capital is
guaranteed through the free market
economy and as such cannot be brought into
question. The necessary liquidity is based on
increasing indebtedness and a growth of the
money supply, which have taken on alarming
proportions. While this steadily growing
indebtedness forces a growing slice of the
gross domestic product to be spent servicinginterest payments, money is being printed
wi thout end until the trees are used up, so
to speak and the M3, as the broadest
measure of money supply,grows at 12 to 13
per cent annually in the USA and the
Eurozone. In poorer regions, money supply is
growing considerably faster.
In other words, in order to guarantee the
liquidity needed for globalisation and to
finance the indebtedness it causes, the
Western countries are today creating new
money at a rate of up to 13 per cent per
annum.
Globalia: Where does this money come
from?
Mohamed Abbas: The new money doesnt
bring any new value along wit h it, since it is
born in a magical fashion it is created out
of nothing and it is not backed up by
inherent value like gold. Instead it borrow s
its value, as it were, from existing money,
with the result that every year the existingmoney loses a corresponding share of its
purchasing power. The M3 growth rate is
clearly closer to real inflation than the too-
low,glossed-over inflation figures that central
banks use for their official reports.
Interestingly, the US Federal Reserve (the Fed)
stopped measuring and publishing the M3 at
the end of 2006,most likely in order to allow
it to keep driving its miraculous reproduction
of money higher and higher, unencumbered
by bothersome criticism.
For the Eurozone this means that in seven
years, tw ice as many euros will be in
circulation as there are today.Although thisought to provoke some reflection, no-one
seems to resist. While the state uses this
situation to finance its financial mis-
management, the citizen is left struggling
with more and more cheap money, and in
the long-term we as workers and normal
salaried employees are the ones who suffer
from this ruinous monetary policy.
Globalia: Is that why the topic of gold is
more popular than ever?
Mohamed Abbas: As you might probably
know, e-dinar works with Emirates Gold (the
largest gold and silver producer in the Middle
East) to produce the Gold Dinar and Silver
Dirham as the traditional currency of the
Muslims in accordance with the exact
historical standards. The Dinar and Dirham
were used for more than 1200 years, all the
way from China to Europe and Africa,as the
most important means of payment, and are
the most significant and enduring bi-metallic
currency in the history of humankind. The
Gold Dinar and Silver Dirham are therefore
highly symbolic in character. On a practical
level, gold and silver are ideal to avoid the
aforementioned inflation. Since gold and silver
are not created out of nothing, rather haveto be wrestled out of the ground, then
transported and refined, they have a
guaranteed inherent value which is based on
a combination of the cost of obtaining and
producing them, their rarity, and demand in
the market. This inherent value prevents a
reduction in purchasing power. Historically,
gold and silver are regarded as immune to
inflation.When inflation is high, gold and sil-
ver prices therefore rise more quickly some-
thing we have certainly seen in recent years.
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INTERVIEW
Globalia: Does this mean we should
return to some kind of gold standard?
Mohamed Abbas:As you likely know, the last
off icial gold standard, which was anchored
in the Bretton-Woods Agreement, was finally
dissolved by President Nixon in 1971. That
meant the removal of what was then a partial
backing of the US dollar by gold. At t he same
time this was the formal end of gold as the
reserve currency.The wondrous reproduction
of paper money which began in 1971 resulted
in extreme inflation and raging interest rates up until 1980 both were well over 10 per
cent and one of the biggest bull-runs on gold
in history, in which its per-ounce price rose
by 2000 per cent in ten years; in 1971 gold
cost 44 US dollars and by 1980 it cost 850.
Although the only way to reconstruct the
necessary fiscal discipline would be to link
money growth to gold governments have
amply demonstrated their inability to maintain
such discipline themselves such a process
could no longer be implemented in the
developing w orld today. We have already
passed the point of no return and are on
course for a financial collision in the world
economy. Even if it were possible to reinstate
a partial gold standard, the resulting
deceleration in economic expansion and
money supply growth would tend to bring an
economic and financial collapse forward in
the West rather than delay it something
which, incidentally, does not apply to the
poorest countries in the world, as I wil l
explain. Thus for the rich countr ies there
remains only the unattractive prospect of
confronting their own collapse with open
eyes.
Lets look briefly at some key figures. While
the worlds above-ground gold stocks
including all bullion, jewellery and coins
amount to around 160,000 tons (nearly USD
4 billion at todays market price), the
worldwide paper value including money,
stocks and shares,bonds and derivatives lies
somewhere between USD 250 and 400 bill ion,
depending on which estimates and sources
you choose. To give you a visual idea, all the
gold in the world could be stored easily in a
medium sized hall.
One of the effects of a new gold standard
would be that the retroactive backing of the
worlds paper money by gold w ould cause a
50 to 100-fold increase in the gold price
something which in reality would not be
feasible.
A new gold standard can only be implemented
after the inevitable collapse of the world
financial system. The question is not if, but
when. Only then will gold f ind its way back
to its historical role as the mother of all
money.
Globalia:Can you tell us something about
the reality of the Gold Dinar and the
Silver Dirham in the past, and their basis
in Islamic Law?
Mohamed Abbas:As I mentioned before, the
Gold Dinar and Silver Dirham are the
tradit ional currency of the Muslims, and were
used as an accepted means of payment all
the way from China to Europe and Africa for
more than 1200 years. They are the most
important and enduring bi-metallic currency
in the history of man.A lesser known fact is
that the first European gold and silver
currencies of the late Middle Ages were based
on, and also copied, the Muslim coins. The
Muslim coins quickly established themselves
in the trading centres of that time such as
Venice and Barcelona, and found their way
from there to the largest cities and royal
houses of northern Europe. The spread of
European gold and silver currencies in the
late Middle Ages, in turn, laid the foundation
for the flourishing of science, arts and trade
in the European Renaissance.
For Muslims the use of gold and silver is not
some kind of backwards-looking romanticism.
This is demonstrated by the payment of Zakat
(a 2.5% tax calculated on standing wealth),
which has to be paid in gold and silver and
also by normal daily t ransactions.
Globalia: Why is that?
Mohamed Abbas:The Quran specifies that a
means of payment must possess an inherent
value that corresponds to its purchasing
power.All t ypes of promise of payment and
our modern paper money is nothing other
than that are forbidden and cannot be used
in payment transactions, because they are
inextricably linked to interest, and Muslims
may not have involvement with interest. For
example, as soon as new paper money is
created, it is loaned at an internal interest
rate by the Central Bank to the commercial
banks, who in turn lend it at higher interest
rates to their customers. In the context of the
fractional-reserve system this business is
extremely profi table. The fractional-reserve
system means that a commercial bank is able
to lend out the same single euro between 20
and 40 times. At f ive per cent int erest per
year, the bank is earning 100 to 200 per cent
annually from the interest on loans covered
by its customers cash deposits. Such a
miraculous increase of wealth is of course
only possible if you accept money created
out of nothing, and would fail miserably with
a physical gold and silver currency. That is
why Islam prohibit s promises of payment as
a means of payment. The Prophet
Muhammad, may the blessings and peace of
Allah be upon him,said:A time w ill certainly
come upon mankind when nothing will be of
use except a Dinar and a Dirham. In the year
695 of t he Christian calendar, the Khalif
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INTERVIEW
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Abdalmalik minted the first Dirhams, thereby
establishing the official standard of Umar
ibn Al-Khattab. In the follow ing years, on the
order of the Khalif, the Dirham was produced
in all t he regions of Islam with the inscription,
Allah is Unique,Allah is Eternal . In addition
he ordered that all human and animal figures
be removed from the coins and that t hese be
replaced by letters.This order was upheld for
the next 1200 years.Typical inscriptions were
La ilaha illAllah (There is no god except
Allah) and Alhamdulillah (All praise is due
to Allah) on one side with the prayer on theProphet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam (May
the peace and blessings of Allah be upon
him) and sometimes verses from the Quran
on the other side. Gold and silver remained
the official currency of Islam until the fall of
the Khalifate at the beginning of the 20th
century.
Globalia: But have there not been many
attempts to islamicise the dominant
financial system and bring the
corresponding products into line?
Mohamed Abbas: Yes, there is an outright
euphoria about Islamic Banking.
Interestingly, the Western banking giants such
as HSBC, Citybank and UBS can be seen
striving the hardest to attract previously
neglected Muslim customers with theirIslamic Banking schemes. From the reasons
I gave earlier, we see Islamic Banking as
nothing more than an insignificant variation
on the Western banking model, and in no
way an acceptable alternative to i t, from an
Islamic perspective.The only difference is in
the semantics and the calculation model
through which the banks siphon off their
profit s from the customer.Since they havent
changed the basics such as the mythical
reproduction of money, the means of payment
wit hout inherent value, and so on Islamic
Banking is just as weak and sickly as the
Western model.
Globalia: Do you see the Dinar as an
alternative for the peoples and regions
which have been hit especially hard by
globalisation? If so, how do you think it
will t ake shape?
Mohamed Abbas: The gold and coin trade in
the Western world is naturally very strictly
regulated for example through taxation.The Muslims must of course respect these
laws. But we see a natural market for the
Dinar in the poorest countries of the world,
in which a small stratum of extremely rich
individuals stand on top of the impoverished
masses. These lands have not yet had the
opportunit y to form a middle class. As soon
as a middle class has formed, an ever larger
proportion of t he population profit f rom the
continually expansive and, in the medium-
term, ruinous monetary policies, and so they
take no interest in an alternative money
system which tends towards being more
restrictive.
We have been presenting our ideas and
concepts in Malaysia and Indonesia since the
end of the 1990s, and now our work is
beginning to bear fruit. In Indonesia theinterest is enormous. No wonder, given the
Rupiahs annual devaluation of over 30 per
cent, and an average daily income of less
than one US dollar. If w e set these key figures
against an annual increase in gold price of
20 to 25 per cent, then the advantages of a
gold currency for Indonesia become obvious
and above all because they simply have
nothing to lose.
Indonesia is the most populous Muslim
country with some 200 million Muslims.In our
work with developing countries we orient
ourselves around the motto: If you havenothing to lose you can only win. We are
confident that Indonesia in particular will
soon take defini te steps towards a gold and
silver currency.
Globalia: Can you give us some final
words from your practical experience?
Mohamed Abbas: It is interesting that the
Gold Dinar and Silver Dirham enjoy greatpopularity with coin collectors and precious
metal investors throughout the world. This
certainly has to do with their outstanding
quality, their cost-effectiveness, and the fact
that the coins can only be purchased through
us.That gives them a certain exclusivity.
Impression from the gold bazar in Kuwait
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M ARKETS
Halal is currently in t he process of undergoing
a paradigm shift. With the staging of the 1st
Malaysian International Halal Showcase,
MIHAS, in August 2004, and the simultaneous
publication of t he pilot of The Halal Journal,
Halal became, for the first time, the defining
factor for a new market. At the inaugural
World Halal Forum in May 2006,
representatives from every sector of the Halal
industry assembled in Kuala Lumpur; at t hat
point, Halal became an industry.
Indeed, if Halal lives up to its inherent
potential, it will represent a paradigm shift
in the global market. Halal is a market
parameter that is based on belief in, and
consequent obedience to a Divine command.
While kosher commands market respect in a
similar field, it pales into insignif icance whenplaced alongside the emerging potential of
the Halal market.With close to 2 billion people
having Halal as their number one choice and
the majority of the other 4.5 billion people
generally amenable to eating Halal the
market implications are staggering. It is small
wonder, therefore, that many of the biggest
names in every sector of the market have
sharpened their focus on Halal.
The biggest f ood manufacturers, meat and
poultry suppliers, ingredient suppliers,
restaurant chains,shipping companies,banks
and retailers are elbowing each other for their
place around the Halal buffet t able with their
eyes on the choicest cuts.
Similarly, governments, NGOs and agencies
are shifting their attention onto the Halal
sector as a means of gaining market share for
their national produce, and in some cases as
a means of developing their own national
economies. While the market swirls wi th
superlatives there are a host of not
insignificant hurdles to be surmounted before
Halal can make the critical metamorphosis
from an emerging bud into a fully-opened
flower.
There are four key areas within the Halal
As the Halal market continues to expand, we see
it entering a new phase. The early adaptors have
established their posit ions, and the floodgates are
opening. The aroma of revenue is in the air, but
there is more than just following your nose.
HALAL M ARKET ANALYSIS
THE INDUSTRY IS UNDERGOING A SHIFT
industry that will need to be tackled with a
great deal of skill and intelligence.These are:
Integrity
Capacity
Finance
Communication
These four issues form the core components
for the future development of the Halal
industry, whether viewed from a
governmental, corporate or private company
perspective.The focus may shift, but the issuesremain the same.
Halal Integrity: the cornerstone
Halal and Haram form a part of the
fundamental behavioural parameters sent
down to us by Allah, via the final Messenger,
Muhammad, may Allah bless him and grant
him peace, to mankind. Without the
Messenger, and the Deen of Islam,we would
not have this guidance, nor this opportunity.
There are some Quranic verses in Surat
Ibrahim that are relevant to all of us in the
Halal industry:
Do you do not see how Allah makes a
likeness of a good word: a good tree
whose roots are firm and whose branches
are in heaven? It bears its fruit regularly
by the permission of its Lord.Allah makes
likenesses for people so that perhaps
they may pay heed. The likeness of a
corrupt word is that of a rotten tree,
uprooted on the surface of the earth. It
has no staying power.
Given that the global food industry, for the
most part, had litt le or no interest in the Halal
sector unti l comparatively recently, most of
the application of Halal has been based on
converting existing procedures from non-
Halal and Haram form a
part of the fundamental
behavioural parameters
sent down to us by Allah,
via the final Messenger
to mankind, Muhammad.
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A halal seal which has been issued in Malaysia
Halal to Halal, rather than building them as
Halal compliant from the ground up.
Halal compliance has in general been
promoted and established by small
independent Islamic bodies that have audited
and certified the predominantly non-Muslim
producers, thereby ensuring that the Muslim
consumer has Halal meat available for
purchase.
While this arrangement has enabled a viable
Halal market to emerge, it contains an
inherent imbalance that has led to its own
set of problems. Halal certif ication is a
profitable and as yet unregulated activity;
with Halal certification a pre-requisite to
accessing the Muslim markets,food producers
have generally, and understandably, taken
the line of least resistance when it comes to
getting Halal certification.
In the last decade we have witnessed a
proliferation of break-away Islamic bodies
competing with each other, often fiercely, for
a share of the lucrative certification market.
Undercutting on price and turn-around time
has become commonplace, often wit h insults
and allegations following closely behind.
Government-run certif ication agencies, where
they exist, have fared only slight ly better.Often bogged down in a maze of bureaucratic
procedure, and with litt le or no incentive to
be efficient, Halal certif ication and even
renewals can take months,making efficient
production almost impossible.This aspect of
Halal integrity has become the most critical
issue facing the Halal industry, and it is
essential that we, as an industry, get it right.
Halal certi fication must become an eff icient,
transparent and industry-compliant procedure
in the Halal market, and the extent to which
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18
we succeed in establishing excellence in the
arena of Halal integrity will determine our
success in the overall market.
Making profit is permitted,it is in itself Halal.
However, if w e let the profit motive have too
much power, and compromise the integrity of
either our products on one hand or our
services on the other,we will have let slip t he
very component upon w hich this vast market
rests. Quite simply, the market needs more
Halal-certif ied products, and there is no way
to achieve this without improving thecertification process. With the right
foundations in place,Halal can be developed
to overlap with many other market factors
such as environmental and social compliance,
health awareness, fair t rade and animal
welfare.
All of these elements fall within the broader
scope of the meaning of Halal, and they are
all strengthening market forces in their ownright. The stakeholders in the Halal industry
must become leaders in these fields also.We
cannot simply leave others to champion
causes such as fair trade or animal welfare
without constructive input and collaboration
from the Halal industry. Animal welfare in
particular is an issue of enormous importance
to us.Animals must be well fed, watered and
not stressed; they do not see the knife, nor
witness the slaughter, nor even the residue
of slaughter, of other animals.
Our scientif ic communities similarly have an
obligation to test the hypothesis that Halal
treatment and slaughter, as well as being
kinder to t he animal, also produces the best
meat; safer, healthier, cleaner, and with a
better shelf life. Allah has commanded
mankind to eat Halal and Tayyib, and we
therefore have a responsibility to demonstrate,
by scientifi c methodology,why it i s better for
us, and the best choice from all points of
view.
Developing Capacity
It is not just the corporate sector that is
gearing up to meet the expanding demand
in the Halal market; an increasing number of
national governments have made Halal an
actual, or a least a potential, tool for the
development of the national economy. And
so they should. There are of course varying
approaches to Halal depending on where you
look, but both the Muslim and non-Muslimmajority countries have recognised that Halal
warrants a closer look in order to take it to
the next level.
The biggest challenge for the non-Muslims
involved in the Halal market is to gain an
authentic understanding of their Muslim
customers beliefs, requirements and
preferences.The best means of nurturing this
understanding is through a genuine
collaboration with the Muslims within their
own borders, those who, at both the
production and certi fication stages, are the
ones giving them access to the Halal market
in the first place. Certainly, in places such as
Thailand and the Phil ippines, the development
of the Halal industry in the Muslim majority
areas of the country has been put forward as
an effective way to gain stability andeconomic progress.
For the Muslim world in general, the
challenges and opportunities that exist in the
Halal market are many and complex. Mostly
underdeveloped, the Muslim countries are
primarily net importers of food. The Muslim
food producers have, for the most part, not
seen any need to develop Halal standards for
their own domestic use, nor the need to give
Halal any definition or status under the law.
For these reasons, and others, the Muslims
have up until now been slow to recognise the
opportunities that exist in this market.
This is not an easy challenge, as the causes
of delay and inefficient channels of delivery
are usually embedded in the actual structure
of government in many countries.Inefficiency
is an integral part of the system.Clearly,those
Muslim lands still under the direct rule of an
Amir,King or Sultan have a certain advantage
if they can give an order and then see it
carried out without the all-too-familiarbureaucratic turf wars.
Putting Our Money Where Our
Mouth Is
Ethical investment, environmental concern
and fair t rade are terms that are showing up
on Wall Street as well as the High Street.
Being a good corporate citizen has an effect
on the bottom line. It was at one time thought
that the average burger-eater or coffee-drinker
did not care very much about ethical corporate
behaviour.But it has been proven otherwise,
and there are a growing number of major
brands that are following down those paths
that were first cut through the corporate
jungle by men and women more at home in
dungarees and sandals than pin-stripe suits.
Doing good is turning out to be good business.
However, at present, as in the Halal market,
those organisations that are leading the way
in energy conservation, environmental
concern, fair t rade and animal welfare are all
lead by non-Muslims. How many times do
we, as Muslims, ask Allah to give us good in
this world and good in the Next? The plot of
Allah, or if you prefer, circumstance and
common interest have made the Halal market
precisely the arena in which this supplication
can be fulfilled.
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Big producers find the new market att ractive
succeeded when he heard on of the baristas
say, We are not in the coffee business, serving
people;we are in the people business, serving
coffee.
Making the Transition
In order to enable our industry to shift gear,
we have to develop all of the pieces at the
same t ime. Integrity; Capacity; Finance;
Communication.We need all of them to move
ahead in concert to allow the metamorphosis
to take place.
This is where the hard work really begins.Sofar, we have talked; now we need to
strategise, plan, commit, act.There are a host
of obstacles in front of us;different standards;
certification issues; competiti on, greed,
indifference; government bureaucracy and
polit ical manoeuvring.Al l of these need to be
overcome.
But the wind and the tide are in our favour.
Things move w hen there is a convergence of
common interest towards a common goal,
and, in principle, there are enough elements
in harmonious alignment to move to the next
stage of growth.
Stakeholders, large and small, representing allthe elements of the Halal value chain want
to see growth and change.There are enough
committed individuals of high integrity who
would like to see this industry,and this market
succeed.For many of them,their commitment
to Halal goes far beyond the limits of their
job description, beyond their corporation and
beyond financial consideration.
For those fortunate ones, the Halal industryis, literally, giving them the best of both
worlds. We all have the opportunity to play
an active role in the development of a dynamic
new market paradigm, one that t ranscends
race, national boundaries and geography, one
that promises considerable financial reward,and at the same time, most importantly, is
pleasing t o Allah.
We continually ask for good in this world and
good in the Next. Our chosen industry gives
us the opportunity to have that. Let us not
waste that chance.
For more informat ion, contact
Text Abdul Hamid Evans
The Halal industry is today in a similar zone to the one occupied
by the organic, environmental and fair trade sectors a decade
or two ago in that they were niche product ranges aiming for
the mainstream and upmarket shelves.
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LAW
No-one in this day and age can begin an
article with a Latin t itle without providing a
quote or two: In the bygone days of Empire,
the Australian sheep farmer, the Gold Coast
witch doctor and the Bengali peasant shared
a common bond. All owed allegiance to the
British sovereign; all were Brit ish subjects by
virtue of that allegiance.As Edmund Burke put
it, these were ties which, though light as air,
are as strong as links of iron. In a momentof diffi culty or danger, a mans Briti sh
citizenship could easily be his most valuable
possession. In 1849, when Don Pacifico, a
Jewish merchant of M alta, was refused
compensation by the Greek government for
injuries he had suffered at the hands of some
of its citizens, Lord Palmerston, Britains Prime
Minister, sent the British navy to blockade
Piraeus. British subjects the world over,
Palmerston told the House of Commons at thetime, could boast as proudly of t heir
citizenship as St.Paul did when he said:Civis
Romanus sum. (Time, March 8, 1971)
This plea, Civis Romanus sum I am a
Roman cit izen , sufficed in ancient Rome to
stop arbitrary condemnation, bonds and
scourging. No Roman citi zen could be
condemned unheard; by the Valerian Law he
could not be bound; and by the Sempronian
Law i t was forbidden to scourge him or beat
him wit h rods. When the chief captain
commanded that Paul should be examined
by scourging , Paul asked a centurion: Is it
lawful for you to scourge a man that is a
Roman, and uncondemned? (Acts 22:24-5)
I therefore fearlessly challenge the verdict
which this ... House is to give, said Lord
Palmerston on the 25th of June 1850,quoting
Cicero, ... whether, as the Roman, in days of
old,held himself free from indignity,when he
could say Civis Romanus sum ; so also a
British subject, in whatever land he may be,
shall feel confident that the watchful eye and
the strong arm of England will protect him
against injustice and wrong.
Implicit in this oath of allegiance and the
protection afforded through it is that anyonewho had not given their allegiance was not
entit led to such protection. If Paul had not
been a Roman citizen, there would have been
no restriction on his being examined by
scourging , that is, on his being tortured in
order to elicit information.
If Don Pacifico had not been a British subject,
Lord Palmerston would not have ordered the
blockade of Piraeus in order to secure justice
for him.
Indefinite detention without charge, without
hope, without independent legal representation
or t rial; torture, and evidence obtained through
torture used in court we are all aware that t hese
things happen.
CIVIS BRITANNIA SUM
A LEGAL ESSAY BY AHM AD THOM SON
As with everything in life, empires come and
go. The Pax Britannica has gone the way of
the Pax Romana and the Pax Americana isa far cry from its predecessors.
President Bush has publicly declared that
those who murder innocent woman and
children are evil. He is right and yet he
appears to be oblivious of the hundreds of
thousands of innocent woman and children
who have been killed by means of the
American military-industrial complex since
the end of World War II in countries such as
Vietnam, Argentina, Columbia, Peru, Chile,
Afghanistan, Iraq and Palestine to name but
a few.
But then of course none of t hese victims had
given their allegiance to the United States of
America and therefore, follow ing that
ancient reasoning, they were not entit led to
its protection.
And although international human rights law
is not based on any oath of allegiance and is
meant to apply to everyone, equally,
everywhere in practice it is often observed
selectively.
The human rights of the victims of Srebrenica,
for example, did not save them from theirfate and yet the UN troops who collected
their weapons and then betrayed their trust
were immune from prosecution.
And although, for example, the Attorney
General advised that regime change was not
permissible under international law as a
justif ication for the invasion of Iraq, the
inevitable civilian collateral damage of the
shock and awe bombing spree that was
deemed necessary in order to have a tyrant
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LAW
and his henchmen ultimately hanged was
accepted as unavoidable, wi th no remedies
or compensation either for the victims or their
surviving relatives in accordance with human
rights law.These are the harsh realities of the
world in which we live harsh realities which
impinge on our daily lives even in the Brit ish
Isles.
A Brit ish cit izen may say, Civis Britannia
sum I am a British citizen. But for an
unfortunate few, a combination of rendition
for torture and Guantanamo Bay style
detention camps has guaranteed, inter alia,
the arrest of people who were kidnapped
and exchanged for a bounty of a few hundred
dollars, and of journalists who did not take
the precaution of being embedded that is,
of accepting to be told what they may and
may not report.
Indefinite detention wit hout charge, wit hout
hope, wi thout independent legal representa-
tion or t rial; torture,and evidence obtained
through torture used in court we are all
aware that these things happen.
We all hope that we will not fall under
suspicion, maybe even be wounded or
executed by mistake we are all aware that
these things happen.
We all know that under the current legislation,
which we are told has been promulgated to
protect us, anyone can be arrested on the
grounds of a suspicion which does not even
have to be reasonable and if deemed
necessary, we can, for example,be extradited
to t he USA even when there is no prima facie
evidence to support either the extraditionrequest or indeed a prosecution in the UK.
We are told that such measures are
intell igence-led but what if t he intelligence
is mistaken,or worse still , cynically uncaring
or disinterested? What if being called
Muhammad or Khan is enough to warrant
arrest?
It is not surprising, in this climate, that neo-
con think-tanks seek to marginalise
London: police and young Muslims in front of a Mosque in Brixton
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LAW
mainstream Muslims and misrepresent
Muslim organisations in the name of
promoting social cohesion, while knowingfull well that the intended result of their
strategy should result in the opposite, so that
ult imately their quarry should be cowed into
tolerating their intolerance.
This is why I found the presentation of Justice
Albie Sachs at the Minority Lawyers
Conference 2007 such a source of inspiration
and hope:
Here stood a man who had been given a
unique experience in life, who had not only
wi tnessed what appeared impossible, but
who had taken part in making what appeared
to be impossible happen.
He had spoken the truth in the court of a
tyrant. He had spoken out against ignorance
and bias, blind prejudice, inhuman treatment,
arbitrary arrest, detention, torture and
instit utional murder to t he extent that t he
people whom he criticised tried without
success to have him blown up and ki lled.
And then when the apartheid state was
dismantled, he did not busy himself w ith
seeking revenge, but rather he busied himself
wi th establishing justice and making his part
of the world a better place.
As Justice Albie Sachs humbly concluded,
wit hout a trace of bitt erness in his voice, If
this could happen in South Africa, then it can
happen anywhere.
Published in The Muslim Lawyer, Volume
5, Issue 1, Dhul-Qada 1428, November
2007.
Text Ahmad Thomson
24
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EURASIA
The fight against corruption and organisedcrime is acknowledged by the Commission to
have been in the focus of the Albanian
leaderships endeavours. However, it states
that corruption remains widespread in the
country.The report acknowledges that Tirana
has continued to investigate and prosecute
human trafficking vigorously,and that border
controls have been strengthened. However,
Albania remains a significant transit country
for human beings. Civil society in Albania is
described as weak. Its representatives, the
report says, are not sufficiently involved in
policy-making, and they lack resources,
organisational capacity, advocacy skill s and
regional links. Albanias economy has been
growing fast, and the Commission considers
that macroeconomic stability has been
maintained even while the external deficit
has further widened, due to the crisis in theenergy sector. However, the rule of law is
seen as influencing Albanias economic
development. Inadequate implementation
of the rule of law continues to impede the
smooth functioning of the market economy
and affects the business climate, the progress
report concludes.
Bosnia and Herzegovina
The Commission says that Bosnia and
Herzegovina has been lagging behind in the
Despite some economic progress, the European
Union says that corrupt ion, organised crime and
ethnic tensions are continuing to obstruct
progress in the Western Balkans.
IN THE WESTERN BALKANS
AN ASSESSM ENT BY THE EUROPEAN UNION
reform agenda. This is blamed in part on
complex institut ional arrangements,
disregard of the Dayton Agreement, andnationalist rhetoric. Limited capacity has
been recorded in democracy and the rule of
law, and polit icians in Sarajevo and Banja
Luka, the capitals of Bosnias two autonomous
entit ies, are criticised for not demonstrat ing
a willingness to take further political
responsibility. Urgent measures are needed
to ensure effective functioning of state-level
institutions, the report says
In addition, the Commission says it is not
aware of any progress in coordination
between the central state and its two entities,
the Bosnian Serbs Republika Srpska and the
Federation that brings together mostly
Bosniaks (Muslims) and Croats. Overall
performance of executive and legislative
institutions has remained poor.Discussions on
constitutional reform have stalled, the report
notes.
Bosnia has made little progress in the fight
against corruption, which remains
widespread and constitutes a serious
problem. The Commission considers that
more determined action is needed,and notes
that the National Anti-Corruption Strategy
has not been implemented properly.As in al l
Western Balkans countries, the inadequaciesin the fight against organised crime and
corruption remain a cause of concern in
Bosnia. The legal framework to fight
organised crime is in place but law
implementation needs to be improved.
While it is recognised that Bosnia has made
strides in reducing its dependence on the
international community through the
replacement of international judges and
prosecutors by local ones, the report notes
At one of the mass graves in Srebrenica.
AlbaniaWhile Albania is recognised as a country that
continuously played the constructive role in
regional stabilit y, the European Commission
considers that the political system has not
improved because of the democratic culture
that dominates in Albania. Political parties
lack of will to cooperate continued to hold
back reforms, particularly in the electoral and
judicial field, says this years progress report.
It notes that judicial reforms have made very
limit ed progress during the year, and the
judiciarys function has been of a poor standard
because of corruption and shortfalls in
independence, transparency and efficiency .
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26
that the fragmentation of the judicial system
and disparities in the legal framework
continue to hamper the operation of thejudiciary. Human rights and the protection
of minori ties remain problem areas, due in
part to religious intolerance. Further efforts
are necessary to combat intolerance and
ethnic discrimination, the report says.
The report points out that cooperation with
the International Criminal Tribunal for the
former Yugoslavia, ICTY, has improved and
that it i s now at a generally satisfactorylevel. However, it recalls that full cooperation
with the ICTY is a precondition for signing a
Stabil isation and Association Agreement as
part of Bosnias integration with the EU, and
to meet key European Partnership priorities.
The report says that Bosnia has made little
progress in establishing a functioning market
economy. The economy it self has expanded
rapidly, and overall macroeconomic stabil ity
has been maintained,but there are sti ll threats
to fiscal sustainabili ty. The persistence of
very high unemployment remains a major
cause of concern, the report says.The slow-
down in reforms is seen as the result of an
unfavourable political climate and weak
domestic consensus on the fundamentals of
economic policy.
Macedonia
Frequent tensions and problems in achieving
constructive dialogue between major polit ical
actors have undermined the effective
functioning of political institutions and led to
a slowdown of reforms in Macedonia,
according to the European Commissions
assessment of this EU candidate which has
yet to start accession talks with Brussels.The
report says that the absence of
communication between key leaders in the
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country and the behaviour of the opposition
have had a negative influence on the work
of political institutions. The boycott ofParliament by one of the major opposition
parties as well as the poor quality of
cooperation between the President and the
Prime Minister has hindered the effective
functioning of the political instit utions, the
report says. The Commission notes that the
fight against graft in the country has yielded
some results, but recalls that corruption is
widespread and constitutes a very serious
problem. The coordination of activit ies
among the different instit utions in the fight
against organised crime is assessed as
uneven. The report notes that whil e large
quantities of drugs have been seized,
insufficient progress has been made intackling human trafficking.
The report on Macedonia notes that the
country has made some progress in political
criteria, while implementation of the 2001
Ohrid Agreement, which brought an end to
a six-month conflict between ethnic Albanian
guerrillas and the security forces, continues
to contribute to the consolidation of
democracy and the rule of law. Further efforts
are needed to implement the agreement fully
and to consolidate confidence between the
GLOBALIA | Issue 01 | January 2008
EURASIA
Kosovo: Muslim grandfather with his grandson.
political parties representing the different
ethnic communit ies, the report says.
It is said that the country has been
implementing administrative reform gradually,
while it is confirmed that the second phase
which relates to fiscal decentralisation, has
begun. Public administrat ion remains weak
and inefficient, and civil service legislation is
lit tle used, the report says. The economy in
Macedonia has registered a markedly
accelerated growth, and the Commissions
assessment is that macroeconomic stabilityhas been maintained as structural reforms
have made further progress.
It acknowledges that Skopje has made further
efforts to improve its ability to assume the
obligations of membership. However, it says
that Macedonia sti ll faces major shortcomings
in implementing and enforcing legislation
effectively. The report concludes that
Macedonia cannot,as yet,participate fully in
EU policies because its institutional and
administrative capacity is insufficient.
Kosovo
Despite delays determining its long-term
status, UN-administered Kosovo has managed
to maintain stability regarding democracy
and the rule of law. The status issue has
continued to dominate Kosovos politics,noted the report, which is the third in a row
to be published separately from Serbia.
The Assemblys work has shown improvement
during the past year, but t he Commission
considers that the Assemblys law-making
and administrative capacities need
strengthening.
The efficiency of public administration has
shown some improvement, but in the
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EURASIA
Globalia: How do you view the situa-
tion of the Muslims in your region?
Mufti Sevko Omerbasic:The situation of the
Muslims in my Region is little different f rom
that of the Muslims in other regions it is
not very good.The period of transition has
produced shortcomings among Muslims,even among intellectuals.The Muslims have
a wrong approach to their Deen. Ignorance
about Islam and its discourse can be seen
both among the Ulama and the common
people.This requires a questioning of ones
own relation to the Deen.
Globalia: With whom are the Muslims
cooperating?
Muf ti Sevko Omerbasic: Muslims in the
Balkans have lived for a long time under
communism, which has consumed both
their material and their spiritual substance.
After communism the Muslims of the
Balkans experienced a lot of suffering. The
Muslims in these regions have lived long
in isolation without knowing what other
Muslims were doing in the rest of the world.
New forms of spreading Islam with new
people are necessary in order to attainfuture visions. The cooperation among the
Muslims in the Balkans is better than among
those in the West. There are communities
who are in contact wi th each other:Croatia,
Bosnia, Montenegro, Sanjak and Slovenia.
There is close cooperation with Macedonia
and Kosovo. We want to strengthen these
ties.
Globalia:What are the main problemsin your Region?
Muft i Sevko Omerbasic: Despite our
considerable difficulties in Croatia we
should not be discontented with the
situation. Fundamental changes in polit ics
and in state structures demand a new
approach to religion.Even though we might
be behind, we are striving to catch up w ith
the Muslim in Western Europe. Since thebreak-up of the former federation of
Yugoslavia,eight new madrasas, three high
schools and many Islamic institutions have
established.
Globalia:What kind of assistance would
you like to receive from abroad?
Mufti Sevko Omerbasic:The Muslims in the
region are able to solve their problems with-out help from others, as demonstrated by
the reconstruction of our Mosques in
Bosnia, Kosovo, Macedonia and Sanjak.
Cooperation with other Muslims is, however,
important to us to improve our activit ies and
creativity.
Globalia:How do you view the situation
of the young Muslims?
Mufti Sevko Omerbasic:The situation of the
young Muslims is quite serious because
they have come out of the war with
wounded souls. Those who grew up under
communism had no education in the basics
of t he Deen.Young people are on the ot her
hand part of the Internet revolution, they
have a sounder, better approach to Islam,
so there may be conflicts with the older
generation.
MUSLIMS IN CROATIAINTERVIEW WITH MUFTI SEVKO OM ERBASIC
assessment of the report s authors, Kosovos
central and local administration remains weak
and inefficient. Civil servants are still
vulnerable to political influence, the report
says. The judicial system in Kosovo also has
serious inadequacies, according to t he
document. It is weak and vulnerable, while
operating in a complex legal environment in
which there is considerable uncertainty.
Responsibilities in the field of combating
money-laundering have been t ransferred only
partially from the UN administration toKosovos provisional institutions. Uneven
progress can be reported in combating
money-laundering. Investigations in a number
of cases were concluded but no court
sentences have been handed down yet,
report says.It also notes the lack of specialised
prosecutors to deal w ith money-laundering,
and says that economic crimes remain a major
challenge.
Kosovo is one of the main traffic routes for
drugs to Western Europe, according to t he
Commission. However, the report notes also
that there is no strategy to prevent or combat
the illegal transport and use of drugs. Drug
trafficking remains a serious problem. The
report recalls that the number of cases of
organised crime investigated increased
substantially in the first half of 2007.
The economy has also been influenced by
Kosovos unresolved status. As the report
notes, economic development continues to
be seriously impeded by political uncertainties,
insufficient rule of law, limited production
capacity and weak infrastructure. The report
concludes that Kosovo has made litt le
progress towards establishing a functioning
market economy.
Article Gjeraqina Tuhina, BrusselsText Malik Sezgin
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GLOBAL
of asceticism and democracy) is a matter up
for debate.The space in which freedom can
operate, claims Sloterdijk, is shrinking, and weare living through nothing other than a
transition to post-liberal forms: We have the
choice between a party-dictatorial mode, as
in China, a state-dictatorial mode, as in the
Soviet Union, an electoral-dictatorial mode,
as in the USA, and finally a media-dictatorial
mode as in Berlusconis Italy. Berlusconism is
the European test-balloon of the emerging
Neo-authori tarian Age.
Today, professing a belief i n democracy is
conditional on an answer to the question,
What kind of democracy? But the prevailing
superficial debate does not wish to make
time for that. We as Muslims, however,
required as we are to embrace democratic
values obediently, are the very people to begin
asking.What are human rights worth without
civil rights? What does global democracy
mean today? Is China a democracy? Or is
China perhaps a kind of new capitalist Ideal
State with unfettered freedom for capital,
and with a government that undertakes the
dirty work of monitoring the workers, as the
Slovenian philosopher Slavoj Zizek so
powerfully states. Zizek also identifies the
creeping erosion of the democratic form in
that enthusiastic role-model, the West. He
examines the weight of real possibilities forpolitical participation, comparing them wit h
the Close-doors button in a lift . Involvement
is becoming abstract,inconsequential;to the
politically minded human being,participation
appears almost illusory.
Of course, Earth remains an unsett led place,
and compared wi th large tracts of our planet,
life between Berlin and Baden-Baden is still
fairly cosy. But this cosiness may be deceptive.
The Melilla refugee drama showed that the
worlds new divide does not lie between
cultures, it separates the Rich and the Poor.
Materially speaking we Germans still live ina sheltered zone.The establishment of Camps
around the edges of our affluent society and
the emergence of the political figure of Homo
Sacer, who has nothing left but his body, is
the fault of the modernism of our global
principles of order. Our corporations are
marauding in Africa and they are not
establishing a Nomos. It i s in our relationship
with the South that the gaping chasm is
revealed between the Christian claim ofEurope and its actual policies.
In the Islamic world, it is widely known that
the political realm is cleft with deep
contradictions. In the Arabian lands, led by
despots and little more than makeshift
dictatorships,the masses that democracy will
bring them civil rights and a just distribution
of prosperity. Zakat, which is an indicator ofthe just distribution of prosperity f rom wit hin
Islam,has been degraded in the Islamic world
to a politically insignificant ritual. And yet
the Muslim intellect remains unsettled by the
hypocritical question aimed at Islamic nations
whether they are capable of democracy?
when everyone knows full well that barely a
despot would remain a day in power without
the support of t he West. Our wealth depends
to a considerable degree on the daily battlefor a share of scarce resources. What would
happen i f democratically elected governments
in Riyadh or Tripoli were to sell their oil to third
parties?
The much-vaunted Enlightenment of which
we are so proud here in the West persists in
avoiding the economic realm.We still believe
in endless growth, in the reduction of debt
mountains and in our natural right to acquire
the worlds resources.
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32
After decades of a somewhat informalexistence, the Muslims have recently come
under the spotl ight of public scrutiny, which
has triggered an interest in the subject of
Islam. Mounir Azzaoui, a former spokesman
for the Central Council of Muslims in Germany
(Zentralrat der Muslime in Deutschland,ZMD),
stated that the last five years were
characterised by crises, terrorist attacks, a
debate about cartoons and statements by
the Pope. Every three months or so we had
something even bigger to discuss.
Introducing Muslims in GermanyA notable Muslim presence emerged in
Germany with the arrival of the Gastarbeiter,
or guest-workers. From the 1960s onwards,
workers from w hat was then Yugoslavia and
later from Turkey, Tunisia and Morocco came
to Germany.At first the influx was regulated
by restricting the duration of stay,but before
long a more permanent immigration had
evolved, the main factor in this process being
regulations governing the unity of immigrant
families.
Cologne: joint press conference wit h the heads of Muslim organisations in Germany.
Existing Islamic organisations will have to evolve
if they want to represent the Deen and the next
generation of Muslims in Germany. Creative
projects are crucial.
FORCED TO CHANGEAN EVALUATION OF MUSLIM ORGANISATIONS
The landscape of German Muslim now
comprises immigrants, their children (who
are noticeably better integrated into Germansociety than their parents), and a growing
number of new indigenous Muslims
(estimates range from 60,000 to 200,000).
Observers estimate that there are currently
3.4 million Muslims in Germany, roughly three
quarters of w hich are either Turkish citizens
or t heir descendents. Representat ive polls
show that 84 per cent of all Muslims want to
stay in Germany;600,000 of them are alreadyGerman cit izens.
In order to meet their religious needs, Muslims
founded associations which went about
opening temporary prayer rooms, and these
were the first visible signs of a Muslim
presence in Germany. Gradually,Muslims and
their organisations searched for more
permanent places to practice their religion.
Today there are more than 2,000 prayer rooms
in which the daily prayers are established, and
Text Sulaiman Wilms, Berlin
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GERM ANY
159 recognisable mosque buildings have been
erected. Another 140 large-scale mosques
are currently at the planning stage.
Organised Islam in Germany
Organised Islam has until now been
dominated numerically by organisations that
are constituted and separated along ethnic
lines, and of these, four are currently sett ing
the tone. The strongest of t hese are two
Turkish mosque associati ons: the Turkish-
state-influenced DITIB, which has the
greatest number of Mosques, and the inde-pendent Union of Islamic Cultural Centres
(Verband der Islamischen Kulturzentren,VIKZ).
Two umbrella organisations also exist: the
Central Council of Muslims in Germany
(Zentralrat der Muslime in Deutschland,ZMD)
and the Islamic Council of Germany (Islamrat
fr die Bundesrepublik Deutschland), the
dominant member of the latter being the Mi lli
Grs Islamic Community (IGMG),which has
Turkish roots.The most important member of
the Central Council i s the Arab-rooted Islamic
Community in Germany (Islamische
Gemeinschaft i n Deutschland, IGD). Both
umbrella organisations have dozens of other
members, but none of these rival the IGMG
or IGD in membership numbers or political
leverage.
Dr. Ayyub Khler, veteran German Muslimand President of the Central Council, sees
the internal tasks of his umbrella
organisation in the support of and care for
the communities and member organisations.
These, he says, are matters of religious and
social education and training. Then there is
the support we offer in legal and theological
matters as well as activities to improve
conditions for practising the religion.
More and more young M uslims consider theThe new mosque in Duisburg, a former industrial centre in the Ruhr Conurbation, is oneexample of more than a hundred in the coming years.
GLOBALIA | Issue 01 | January 2008
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INTERVIEW
vast reserves of knowledge that are sti ll drawn
upon today by the World Islamic Community
and by non-Muslims as well. As a living
element, a living existential element Islam
has been erased from the surface of the Iberian
peninsula, so it is a sign of the vitalit y, validity
and relevance of Islam that people are taking
it on existentially in their daily lives.
Globalia:The history of Spain is vast and
extraordinary.What are the sentiments of
the non-Muslim population towards this
momentous undertaking of reviving the
Deen in Spain?
Abdulhasib Castieira: I would say in the last
thirty years, since the death of General Franco,
there has been an increase in sympathy
towards Islam in intellectual circles, academic
circles and among those knowledgeable about
culture and history. The Islamic era was one
of the greatest times in Spain. This may sound
natural and true to us as Muslims, but to the
Spanish people it i s something very new. For
the last five hundred years we have been
taught that the country was a Christian
country invaded by Islam, and that they
destroyed our unity.This has been basically the
official Catholic version of history up unti l the
1970s, but now i t has completely changed, in
the textbooks and even in the discourse of the
authorities. Last year, in 2006, the Prime
Minister said that Spain is indebted to Islam
Text M uhammad Dockrat
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INTERVIEW
A prominent place. The head of the Islamic Communit y of Spain Malik Ruiz is addressingvisitors of a celebration.
for it s history.All this is very new.People wi ll
now say Islam is not terrorism, Islam is not
backwards,w e know it in our cit ies, we know
it in our monuments, we know it in our own
history.This is the truth and it can grow faster
in Spain then in any other European country.
Globalia: What is the role played by the
Spanish Muslim community and the
Mosque of Granada in establishing
spiritual kinship throughout Europe?
Abdulhasib Castieira: I think amongeveryone who comes to Granada and there
are many Muslims from the United Kingdom,
Germany and France who come for holidays
and cultural visits, everyone recognises that
Granada has a very strong meaning and a very
significant place in the hearts and memory
of the Muslims,and it is there that our mosque
is located. Not only that but we are situated
in the most historical quarter opposite the
Alhambra Palace, and our mosque has
become a model for all of Europe in that i t is
a mosque open to all people, not only
Muslims. It fulfi ls the role of Ibadah, which
is the first role of a Mosque, and it is the
heart of the community and also a place of
interaction with society. Every day there are
many activit ies. Every day of the year it is
open to people, to the non-Muslims of
Granada but also to visitors, researchers,
teachers, university groups and schools.
The Mosque of Granada is one of the founding
members of t he EMU. We have attended all
the assemblies and general meetings of the
organisation. We have a strong contribut ion
to make because we join history and the
present day, and I think Granada will become
a place of hospitality, meeting, protection
and discussion for all European Muslims.