Halal meat has become the latest battleground in the clash of civilisations between Islam and the west. There was a media frenzy recently over reports that halal meat was unknowingly being served to the British public with the Daily Mail claiming ‘Britain goes halal’.
When the volcanic ash cloud hit Europe last week I along with thousands of other Muslims was caught stranded in Saudi Arabia after performing the umra (minor pilgrimage). As we set off for Jeddah Airport we were obviously concerned since our flight had been cancelled and we were unsure what assistance would be provided to us by the Saudi government’s Hajj ministry and Saudi Airlines.
The Ahdnama is an agreement written by Sultan Muhammed al-Fatih who is famous for conquering Constantinople and fulfilling the prophecy of the Prophet Muhammed ﷺ that Muslims would one day conquer the city.
Today’s Zaman MESUT ÇEVIKALP/OSMAN EROL An Austrian steamship which left İstanbul silently on April 28, 1901, stopping briefly in both İzmir and Alexandria, and then passed through the Red Sea and headed towards the Far East, wound up spurring all of the various Western agents and envoys in the region into action.
In March 2009 two female US Journalists, Euna Lee and Laura Ling were seized by North Korean border guards while reporting for California-based Current TV. They were subsequently tried and sentenced to 12 years in prison for “hostile acts” and illegal entry into North Korea. After their imprisonment America worked tirelessly to get the women released and in August 2009 dispatched former US President Bill Clinton to speak with North Korea’s Kim Jong Il. The meeting was productive and the two women were later released.
The old saying “power tends to corrupt” has certainly proved true for British MP’s in recent weeks. Whilst thousands of people lose their homes during the recession, MP’s are claiming second-home allowances for multiple properties all charged to the public purse. In addition to this they have claimed thousands of pounds in expenses for services such as moat cleaning, duck houses and even church donations! Understandably confidence in the British government is at an all time low.
In 1916 Britain and France hatched a secret agreement to divide the lands of the Khilafah between them. This plan became known as the Sykes-Picot agreement, named after French diplomat François Georges-Picot and British diplomatic advisor Mark Sykes. Under the agreement Britain was allocated control of Jordan, Iraq and a small area around Haifa. France was allocated control of South-eastern Turkey, Northern Iraq, Syria and Lebanon. The controlling powers were left free to decide on state boundaries within these areas. The Middle Eastern map today is the legacy of Sykes-Picot with the borders matching Mr Sykes and Mr Picot’s lines drawn using a ruler over the former lands of the Caliphate. The Middle East turned from a once united area under one state into a multitude of small and weak states unable to challenge the western powers till this day.
يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آَمَنُوا لِمَ تَقُولُونَ مَا لَا تَفْعَلُونَ “O you who believe! why do you say that which you do not do?” (As-Saff, 61:2)
The Caliphate’s currency is based on the gold and silver standards where the coins and notes in circulation are 100% backed by gold and silver. Islam did not leave any question unanswered, especially questions concerning the complexities of economic life. The Shari’ah has therefore defined the Islamic currency as gold dinars and silver dirhams along with their corresponding weights in gold or silver. The Shari’ah rules related to money such as zakat, blood money (diyah) and hoarding all specify values in gold and silver.[1]
These cartoon notes and coins are for illustrative purposes only. They show the possible denominations of the dinars and dirhams in the Caliphate. The main article explaining the Caliphate’s currency in more detail is Currency of the Caliphate.
Islamic Civilization 