Headlines:
- Survey: Islam Will Become World’s Largest Religion in 2070
- French School Kicks Muslim Girl Out of Class Because Her Skirt’s too Long and Provocative
- Saudi Prince Sees Power Grow in Oil Restructuring
- Pakistanis See Double Standard in American Drone Strikes
Survey: Islam Will Become World’s Largest Religion in 2070
At a youthful 1,400 years, Islam is the youngest of the world’s major religions — and it’s on track to be the largest sometime this century. That’s the prediction from demographers at the Pew Research Center who say high fertility rates among Muslim women and a youth bulge in the faith are fueling its growth. A Pew survey released this month, “The Future of World Religions,” says that if current trends continue, Islam will surpass Christianity in 2070 to become the world’s largest faith. A panel of demographers discussed the findings of the report recently during a seminar at the headquarters of Pew’s Religion & Public Life project. Conrad Hackett, the lead researcher on the report, said that while fertility rates around the world are slipping toward the replacement rate of 2.1 children per woman, Muslim women are having on average more than three children each. At the same time, around a third of all Muslims are under age 15. “What this means is that the Muslim population has more people who are going to grow into their childbearing years in the years to come than any other religious group,” he said. In fact, Islam is the only major religion expected to grow faster than the global population. In the United States, Muslims will edge upward from around 1 percent of the population to a little more than 2 percent. In Europe, the increase will be from around 6 percent to 10 percent. [Source: Voice of America],
Allah سبحانه وتعالى says:
هُوَ الَّذِي أَرْسَلَ رَسُولَهُ بِالْهُدَى وَدِينِ الْحَقِّ لِيُظْهِرَهُ عَلَى الدِّينِ كُلِّهِ وَلَوْ كَرِهَ الْمُشْرِكُونَ
“It is He who has sent His Messenger with guidance and the religion of truth to manifest it over all religion, although they who associate others with Allah dislike it.”
(at-Taubah: 33)
French School Kicks Muslim Girl Out of Class Because Her Skirt’s too Long and Provocative
According to French media reports, a 15-year-old French Muslim girl was banned from her class twice for wearing a skirt that was too long, and therefore supposedly a conspicuous display of religion. France’s state secularism has led to very strict laws prohibiting students from wearing overtly religious symbols in institutions of education. The student, identified as Sarah, already apparently removed her headscarf before entering the school, in accordance with French law. But her long skirt was deemed a “provocation,” and potential act of protest. “The girl was not excluded, she was asked to come back with a neutral outfit,” a local official in the northeastern French town of Charleville-Mezieres, near the border with Belgium, told the AFP. The news sparked an outcry on social media, with commentators remarking on the hypocrisy and bigotry lurking beneath Sarah’s treatment. On Twitter, the hashtag #JePorteMaJuppeCommeJeVeux (“I wear my skirt as I like”) trended. Critics of France’s secularist laws in schools say they often thinly conceal a widespread bias against Muslims and immigrants in French society. Studies have revealed how Muslims face systematic discrimination on the basis of their race, creed and culture. Speaking to local newspaper L’Ardennais, Sarah said that her skirt was “nothing special, it’s very simple, there’s nothing conspicuous. There is no religious sign whatsoever.” [Source: The Independent]
There are still may Muslims in France who see nothing wrong in the way the French Republic and its states institutions hound Muslims. Instead of openly criticizing the French government over draconian measures against Islam, many choose to seek closer ties. Allah سبحانه وتعالى says:
يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُواْ لاَ تَتَّخِذُواْ بِطَانَةً مِّن دُونِكُمْ لاَ يَأْلُونَكُمْ خَبَالاً وَدُّواْ مَا عَنِتُّمْ قَدْ بَدَتِ الْبَغْضَاء مِنْ أَفْوَاهِهِمْ وَمَا تُخْفِي صُدُورُهُمْ أَكْبَرُ قَدْ بَيَّنَّا لَكُمُ الآيَاتِ إِن كُنتُمْ تَعْقِلُونَ
“Oh you who have believed, do not take as intimates those other than yourselves, for they will not spare you [any] ruin. They wish you would have hardship. Hatred has already appeared from their mouths, and what their breasts conceal is greater. We have certainly made clear to you the signs, if you will use reason.”
(Al-Imran:118)
Saudi Prince Sees Power Grow in Oil Restructuring
Saudi Arabia, the world’s largest oil exporter, has restructured its hydrocarbon sector by splitting the state oil company from the oil ministry in a move that consolidates the power of the king’s son over the economy. King Salman formed a 10-member Supreme Council for Saudi Aramco, headed by his son, Deputy Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman, to oversee Saudi Aramco, the state oil company. The council will include the ministers of oil, finance, economy and the central bank governor, among others. It is the latest measure to concentrate power in the hands of the young prince, who earlier this week was named as second in line to the throne. In January, his father appointed him defence minister and head of the council on economic and development affairs, which has the job of coordinating economic reforms as the kingdom grapples with lower oil prices. Saudi Aramco is the world’s largest oil-producing company, pumping more than 10m barrels a day, or almost one in every nine barrels consumed globally. The governance change breaks the long-standing link between the company and the oil ministry, with some analysts describing the move as a positive boost to oversight. Others, however, see increasing royal interference in a body that has developed a reputation for efficiency. Mohammad al-Sabban, a senior adviser to the Saudi oil minister from 1996 until 2013, said the decision to separate Saudi Aramco from the oil ministry was primarily to create a transparent, more efficient commercial operation. “The separation, alongside the decision to create a supreme council solely for Aramco, will mean the company is better monitored, audited and governed. It falls in line with a bunch of decisions taken of late to foster economic reform,” said Mr Sabban. Others say the new oversight body will increase royal influence over Saudi Aramco, which has operated independently from other government departments since its nationalisation in the 1980s and gained a reputation as one of the world’s best-run state oil companies. Oil experts, including Mr Sabban, say the move could be the precursor to a new “super” energy ministry that will be responsible for gas, nuclear and renewables, as well as oil. [Source: Financial Times]
Usurping and concentrating power is the hallmark of Saudi Kings—so much so that they have plundered the oil wealth for themselves and even named Arabia after their family name. Can anyone expect any good from the House of Saud towards the Muslims worldwide?
Pakistanis See Double Standard in American Drone Strikes
People in Pakistan who live under the threat of US drone strikes see a double standard at work in Washington. Last week, President Barack Obama took the unusual step of acknowledging and apologizing for a highly secret US drone strike that accidentally killed an American and an Italian aid worker held captive by Al-Qaeda in Pakistan. The US government said their families would be compensated. Drone-strike survivors and family members of innocent Pakistani victims, lawyers and government officials in Pakistan asked why those victims don’t also warrant an apology and compensation from the United States. They wonder why it takes the deaths of Westerners to bring the controversial drone program back to the public debate in the US. The US is generally secretive about drone strikes, but Obama last week took full responsibility for the January CIA strikes and expressed regret for the deaths of hostages Warren Weinstein, an American, and Giovanni Lo Porto, an Italian. He cast the deaths as a tragic consequence of the special difficulties inherent to fight against terrorism. Naureen Shah, Director of Amnesty International USA’s Security and Human Rights program, welcomed Obama’s rare public announcement Friday, but said “apology and redress should be available for all civilians killed in US drone strikes, not just US citizens and Europeans.” Asked about apologies or compensation for Pakistani civilians killed by drones, National Security Council spokesman Edward Price said that “in several years of operations, there have been very few cases of civilian casualties, each of which we deeply regret. “In a statement to Associated Press, Price said, “We believe it is incumbent on us to acknowledge” the deaths of US citizens in overseas counterterrorism operations. The statement did not address acknowledging the deaths of Pakistani civilians or compensating their families, though it said, “the death of innocent civilians, regardless of their citizenship, is something that the US government seeks to avoid if at all possible.” [Source: Arab News]
America’s response is predictable and unsurprising. If the rulers of Pakistan do not lift a finger to protect their citizens from the drone strikes or demand an apology from Obama followed by compensation then what hope do ordinary citizens have. The time has come for Muslims in Pakistan to redouble their efforts to establish the rightly guided Khilafah state. Only under the Khilafah will Muslims find solace in Islam and enjoy unrivalled security and protection.