Headline News 15/02/2020

Headlines:

Appeal Court Rules Islamic Marriages Invalid in UK

Saudi Arabia Valentine’s Day

At Joint Press Conference, PM Imran Thanks Erdogan for Raising Voice for Occupied Kashmir

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Appeal Court Rules Islamic Marriages Invalid in UK

A court has reversed a judgment from two years ago which found that a couple who had an Islamic wedding ceremony could legally divorce. The High Court ruled in 2018 that the couple's Islamic "nikah" ceremony fell within English marriage law. But the Court of Appeal has now said it was an "invalid" non-legal ceremony.  Judges said the fact they intended to have a further civil ceremony meant they must have known their Islamic marriage had no legal effect in the UK. The Attorney General appealed against the original court decision. The case involved the divorce of Nasreen Akhter and Mohammed Shabaz Khan, who have four children. The couple had an Islamic wedding ceremony in a west London restaurant in 1998 in the presence of an imam and about 150 guests, but no civil ceremony subsequently took place, despite Mrs Akhter repeatedly raising the issue. They separated in 2016 and Mr Khan tried to block his wife's divorce petition two years ago on the basis they had not been legally married in the first place. A government review into Sharia law in 2017 said Muslim couples should be required to take part in civil marriages in addition to Muslim ceremonies to bring Islamic marriage legally into line with Christian and Jewish marriage.

Europe’s DNA is intolerant of any other culture or civilization. Under King Philip I, nikkah was made illegal amongst other Islamic practices until the Islamic identity was completely stripped from the Muslims of Spain. The current rise of the right across Europe is producing similar circumstance where fifteen and sixteen-century practices perpetrated against Muslims in Spain are making a comeback in modern day Europe.

Saudi Arabia Valentine’s Day

Love is in the air and hearts and flowers are everywhere as the Kingdom prepares to celebrate the once “haram” Valentine’s Day. As recently as three years ago it would have been unthinkable — Saudi Arabia’s feared religious police saw to that. Florists and confectioners used to hide their red roses and heart-shaped chocolate in fear of the Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice (CPVPV). Restaurant owners even banned birthday or anniversary celebrations on Feb. 14 for fear of arrest or closure. A breakthrough came in 2018, when former Makkah CPVPV President Sheikh Ahmed Qasim Al-Ghamdi declared that Valentine’s Day did not contradict Islamic teaching or doctrine. Celebrating love was universal, and not limited to non-Muslims, he said. Now Saudis are buying extravagant gifts, flowers, cheesy balloons and even the cliched teddy bears for that special person. To help readers to get the most out of Valentine’s, Arab News has compiled an essential guide. We have advice on romantic getaways, whether you’re on a budget, or ready to splash out on a rented yacht in the Red Sea or a cultural heritage hotel in a palm oasis in the Eastern Province. [Source: Arab News]

Celebration of Valentine’s Day is the latest taboo to be broken by Mohammed bin Salman (MBS), and the Salafist ulema—once a bastion of protecting Islamic values—have retreated into oblivion. It also goes to show that if MBS wanted to establish Khilafah Rashidah he could easily do so, however, he is using his power to secularize Saudis and make them turn away from Islam.

At Joint Press Conference, PM Imran Thanks Erdogan for Raising Voice for Occupied Kashmir

Prime Minister Imran Khan and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Friday addressed a joint press conference in Islamabad after the two countries signed a number of memorandums of understanding (MoUs) for cooperation in various areas.  In his speech, Prime Minister Imran said people had greatly liked President Erdogan's speech earlier today during a joint session of the parliament. He reiterated that if the Turkish leader fought an election from Pakistan, he would do a "clean sweep". He thanked Erdogan, who was on a two-day visit to Pakistan, on the country's behalf for speaking up against Indian atrocities in occupied Kashmir. He noted that at least eight million Kashmiris have been under Indian siege for over six months, while Kashmiri leaders have been put in jail. "They have no rights ... they are living in fear," he added. The premier reiterated that Kashmir is a disputed territory according to United Nations resolutions. He said the Pakistan-Turkey trade relationship will see a new era with today's signing of MoUs for strategic economic cooperation. Through timelines, the cooperation being carried out between Pakistan and Turkey will benefit both the countries, he added. Prime Minister Imran said Pakistan backs Turkey regarding its issues with terrorism emanating from the Syria border. He noted that besides Kashmir, Turkey had supported Pakistan on the issue of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) as well, adding that the two countries "stand together" when it comes to strategic international issues. "Our cooperation apart from politics and economy [...] is necessary because they (Turkey) have an advanced film industry. We want to develop content with them to address Islamophobia so that we can take a stand against the incorrect portrayal of Muslims," the premier said.

Erdogan and Khan are a poor excuse for providing leadership over 300 million Muslims. They are both bereft of an Islamic vision and subservient to the interests of foreign powers. The combined forces of Pakistan and Turkey could easily liberate Kashmir, Palestine and Cyprus, emancipate Syria from foreign influence and end the suffering of Muslims in Burma and China. Nevertheless, to do this, the current regimes of Erdogan and Khan must make way for HT to take power and establish Khilafah Rashidah. This will bring an end to foreign interventions in Muslim lands!