Europe, Be Happy and Embrace Muslims

By Khedr Abd Al-Mo'ti Khedr

Thank God whose blessings insure all good for the launch of the EU Muslim family campaign under the slogan "a stable family forms a stable community." We shall pray for the best father, grandfather, husband, brother-in-law, and the last of the prophets and messengers: Prophet Mohammed, may God's blessings be upon him.

This fortunate campaign is led by the Federation of Islamic Organizations in Europe (FIOE) in coordination with all its institutions in more than 30 European countries. The FOIE, in supporting the campaign financially and intellectually, massed all its scholars, preachers, spiritual guides, and intellectuals with full capacity and strong enthusiasm to awaken people and correct illusions. Various activities have been prepared to approach individuals and families in the West. This campaign, in my view, will be very fruitful for the whole European community as well as being a fundamental fortification especially for the Muslim family. Thanks to this campaign, both Muslim and non-Muslim communities will soon co-live in an atmosphere of security and prosperity due to two reasons.

Reforming the EU Muslim Family

The first reason is the reformation of the Muslim family, which is now part and parcel of the European community. Such reformation will definitely lead to a wide amelioration in the European society. To elaborate, a stable community can be seen in many shapes such as a good husband-wife relationship and effective parenting. Any society has to guarantee a healthy environment for upbringing children.

There is an educational theory that a child has to have some fun and joy during his / her first seven years. Within those years, the child might be guided without deterrent punishment so that he/she could acquire decency and have, their parents, as a good example to follow. Then, the following seven years the child directly learns regulations, laws, and disciplines. After this phase, the young boy will be able to show responsibility and can support his family as well as his country. This theory is mostly conforms to our God's, Most Glorious and Most Merciful, verse: (My Lord! Bestow on them thy Mercy as they cherished me in childhood) (Al-Israa, 24). Many institutions suffering from raising family problems will benefit from this campaign. The Muslim family has many hanging issues in different fields such as social affairs, police, legislation, education, etc. All these problems will be tackled by the campaign in conferences, forums, field visits, and researches.

Exploring New Role Models

The second reason, which reveals the importance of the EU Muslim family campaign, is that the European family will be able to find a model role for its members to guide them through the way, that is the model of its stable Muslim family in the neighborhood. The most wonderful way to approach our goal for all families is to adopt the holistic methodology that will lead us all to stability and happiness. That divine path softens the dry materialistic life which cannot guarantee man's happiness despite its strength and discipline. Neither did the scientific progress secure a life-loving human being free from fears, and selfishness. As the British philosopher Bertrand Russell says, "Though man won his battle against nature thanks to knowledge, he lost his war against himself where knowledge did him no good." He also admits that religion can handle such war.

The EU family campaign, seeking both Muslim and non-Muslim families in Europe, has carried the wholly congenital righteous lamb. Obviously, it tackles all the problems facing teenagers and matrimonial conflicts, as well as defending the rights of the European woman when she gets married to a Muslim man. This campaign encourages the couple to have patience with each other - we shall explain this in the following paragraph.

Raising Generations

In order to illustrate this, we must say that human beings sometimes ignorantly adopt wrong concepts for a life time. This cannot be changed easily but with patience, understanding, and counseling. According to this theory, both husband and wife should tackle all negative issues in their life. Any couple should help each other to raise a good generation that respects its identity and its origins of both parents. This generation should be aware of the social hierarchy inside the family and respect it.

The EU family campaign aims at achieving integration and settlement without prejudice or ingratitude. Additionally, it is a reminder for all who forgot the real goal of a Muslim in life so that money and kids will not turn into a plague for them. Many Muslim families' faiths have been tested during their journey, especially the early immigrants. Their children, for example, have strayed from the right path despite their luxurious life. This comes as a proof of our Lord saying (Let not their wealth nor their (following in) sons dazzle thee: in reality Allah's Plan is to punish them with these things in this life) (Al Tawba, 25) Another verse assuring that concept is "truly the flimsiest of houses is the spider's house," an approved scientific fact. This great image from our Holy Book shows how a family that is not deeply based on the Islamic principles would meet the same fate of a spider's house; to be crashed and destroyed. The family weakness comes from a materialistic father and an unfaithful wife. Then follows the impious children. All these reasons confirm the goals of the family campaign.

Learning many sciences and achieving academic excellences is the main road towards fortification. European Muslims should also use their countries' language together with their mother tongue, not to forget it. Most important of all is to learn the Arabic language, that of the Holy Qur’an. Applying all these pieces of advice, we will ensure having good offspring with all useful knowledge, languages, and tempers.

Also a Campaign for Women

It’s a fortification campaign for women as well; a campaign that will synchronize with the European celebration of Woman's Day on March 8th. This campaign aims at wiping out the bad image of women in the developing countries, then resetting their roles in the European countries by giving good and righteous Muslim examples. Thus woman will be honored and appreciated and her role in family, society, and life will be stressed.

This initiative is considered a comprehensive methodology to reform all family affairs introduced by the EU family campaign in Europe. However, none can deny the importance of materialism for people and countries.

With God's blessings, we launch the EU family campaign in Europe, we call all the honest and sincere intellectuals and media men, not only in the FOIE but in all free and moderate institutions in Europe, to get involved in this campaign, each with whatever they can do and what they are destined to.
* Khedr Abd Al-Mo'ti Khedr is a member of the European Assembly for Imams and Spiritual Guides.
Source : Islam Online

Indonesia realizes promotion to Middle East still insufficient

Jakarta (ANTARA News) - Indonesia realizes that its promotion to the Middle East is still insufficient causing investment from the region remains low.

The country`s state enterprise minister, Sofyan Djalilm said here on Monday "we are still under-promoted in the Middle East so that only few investors from the region know the country while the potentials in our country are huge."

The minister said at a press conference on the 5th World Islamic Economic Forum that a Middle Eastern investor told him over a lunch that afternoon about his wife who asked what for when he told her he would leave for Indonesia, impressing that the country was still unknown.

However, Sofyan who is also a deputy chair of the meeting said the investor immediatelly called his wife upon arrival here to ask her to come to Jakara telling her that "shopping malls here are no less superior than those in the US or Europe."

So, they really did not know much about Jakarta, the minister said.

In view of that he hoped the holding of the World Islamic Economic Forum would make Middle Eastern investors know the country better and interested to invest in the country.

He said he also hoped the forum would lead to agreements as well as their implementation.

Another deputy chair of the meeting, Tanri Abeng, shared the minister`s view that Indonesia still insufficiently conducted promotion to the Middle East. In view that he said he planned to conduct better promotion efforts.

"At the end of the meeting on March 4 we would conduct an exhibition on Indonesia to promote the country`s potentials. Moreover more participants attended the meeting this time and more than half of them came from the Middle East. The number of attendees was larger than it was in Malaysia before," he said.

This means, he said, that Middle Eastern investors began to be interested in the country. "It has never happened before that the number of delegates reaching more than one thousand," he said.

He said now was the opportunity for Indonesia to attract foreign investors. "They used to look at the US and Europe because of their financial sector but now when the West is in crisis they turned to the East," he said.

He said investment in Eastern countries would not be the same as in the West. "In the Eastern countries it would go more to the real sector while in the West it would go the financial sector. This means an opportunity for us that have a huge pontential in the sector," he said.

The chairman of the South African Chambers of Commerce and Industry, Ibrahim E Patel, said the event was an important forum for investors to know more about Moslem countries.

"Here we would discuss substantial platforms stressing on partnership cooperation. We know that trade knows no state borders, politics, religions and races," he said.

City Developments issues S$100 mln of Islamic notes

City Developments (CTDM.SI), Singapore's second-largest developer, said on Thursday it sold S$100 million ($66.45 million) worth of Islamic notes to fund its shariah-compliant businesses. The 3.25 percent Islamic Trust Certificates are due in 2010.

CIMB is the sole dealer for the Islamic note issue. A property pioneer since 1963, City Developments Limited (CDL) is a listed international property and hotel conglomerate involved in real estate development and investment, hotel ownership and management, as well as the provision of hospitality solutions.

With a global presence in gateway cities across Asia, Europe, North America and New Zealand/Australia, CDL has more than 250 subsidiaries and associated companies together with 5 listed companies on notable stock exchanges.

Backed by a track record of over 22,000 luxurious and quality homes to its name, CDL’s properties are synonymous with prestige, good value, outstanding quality and a choice investment.

CDL is one of the biggest landlords in Singapore with over 4 million square feet of lettable office, industrial, retail and residential space. It also owns one of the largest land banks amongst private developers with over 4.5 million square feet that has the potential of being developed into more than 9 million square feet of gross floor area.

CDL strongly advocates a “Safe and Green” culture and has strict adherence to its Environmental, Health and Safety (EHS) policy which was instituted in 2003. CDL was the first private property developer in Singapore to be awarded the ISO 14001 (Environmental Management System) certification by the Building and Construction Authority for its commitment to raising environmental standards in its projects and incorporating eco-friendly features into its developments. CDL also received the OHSAS 18001 (Occupational Health and Safety Management System) certification for establishing an EHS policy to monitor the environmental impact of its operations and improve workplace safety.

In managing its investment properties, CDL was also the first private property developer in Singapore to be awarded the ISO 14001 and ISO 9001 (Quality Management System) certifications for 14 of its commercial buildings.

Millennium & Copthorne Hotels plc (M&C), the London-listed international hotel arm of CDL, is a dynamic hotel group that owns and operates over 110 hotels in 18 countries around the world, with a number of them being located in major gateway cities. CDL also has a dedicated subsidiary, the Hong Kong-listed City e-Solutions Limited, which provides technology solutions for the global hospitality industry.

Beyond its business operations, CDL believes in giving back to the community. It remains committed to an extensive range of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) programmes aimed at caring for the needy, raising awareness about the environment, nurturing the youth and promoting the arts. For its sustained commitment and outstanding contributions to the community and the environment, CDL was conferred the prestigious President’s Social Service Award and President’s Award for the Environment in 2007. It has also been listed on the coveted FTSE4Good Index Series since 2002, for meeting globally recognised corporate responsibility standards.

Worldwide protests denounce Israel

Angry protests against Israel's bombardment of the Gaza Strip have continued throughout the world, with two of the largest demonstrations taking place in London and in Sakhnin in northern Israel.

Other large demonstrations were staged in Kabul, the capital of Afghanistan, Srinagar in Indian-administered Kashmir, Lebanon, Turkey and the West Bank.

Protesters in Kabul pumped their fists into the air and shouted slogans against Israel and the United States, while in Srinagar activists burned an effigy of Ehud Olmert, Israel's outgoing prime minister.

In Ramallah in the West Bank, Palestinians seeking national unity marched through streets and there were clashes with Israeli riot police.

Israel protests

In the northern Israeli town of Sakhnin up to 150,000 Israeli-Palestinians have protested against Israel's offensive.
Crowds waving Palestinian flags and brandishing pro-Palestinian placards chanted "Gaza will not surrender to the tanks and bulldozers!" and "Don't fear, Gaza, we are with you!"

Thousands of police were deployed on the outskirts of the town and across northern Israel following a number of violent protests against the Gaza operation in recent days.

Following a minute's silence, Mazem Ghanaim, Sakhnin's mayor, called for an immediate halt to the Gaza offensive.

Ghanaim said: "The Israeli occupation forces is conducting crimes in Gaza before the eyes of the international community. We call for an immediate stop to the Gaza offensive."

He also said Gaza fighters should halt their rocket fire against southern Israel.

Mohammed Barakeh, an Israeli-Palestinian politician, said the Sakhnin demonstration was "our answer to the Israeli threats against the Palestinian people in Gaza".

"We are determined to stand alongside our brothers in Gaza to stop the bloodshed and massacre," he said.

Mubarak 'coward'

Israeli-Palestinians have staged several big demonstrations since Israeli warplanes launched air assaults on Gaza.

Some protesters in Sakhnin called Hosni Mubarak, Egypt's president, a "coward" and accused him of "collaborating with the Americans".

In Europe, demonstrators have taken place across Britain with the biggest rally in London.

Tens of thousands of protesters including singer Annie Lennox, human rights campaigner Bianca Jagger and Ken Livingstone, the city's former mayor, marched through the capital.
Marchers on the event organised by the Stop the War Coalition were to leave old shoes for Gordon Brown, the country's prime minister, at his Downing Street residence, in the spirit of an Iraqi journalist who threw his shoes at George Bush, the US president.

Speaking to Al Jazeera, Alexei Sayle, a British writer and entertainer, said: "I think we should withdraw our ambassador from Tel Aviv, we should call an immediate halt to European Union-Israel trade negotiations, we should start looking at a boycott of Israeli products and a boycott of Israel's financial services."

Protests were also held in Manchester, in northwest England, and in Glasgow in Scotland.

The march caps a week of demonstrations in London, including a rally outside Egypt's embassy on Friday, urging Cairo to open its crossing with Gaza to allow refugees through.

'Killer Israel'

Hundreds of Lebanese and Palestinian activists and schoolchildren protested in front of the United Nations building in Beirut.

One protester said he hoped the Lebanon-Israel borders would be opened so that he could go to fight alongside Palestinians.

Murad, a Palestinian refugee, said: "We want to at least be able to go and fight. We want Sayyed Hassan [Nasrallah, the Hezbollah secretary-general] to do anything to open the borders so we can go and fight and, God willing, we will be victorious."

In Ankara, Turkey's capital, about 5,000 people shouted "killer Israel" during an anti-Israeli rally as anger mounted in a country traditionally considered an ally of Israel.

The demonstration is the second largest in Turkey in as many days.

The protesters, who turned out in freezing weather, shouted "resist and win freedom" in support of Hamas.

Many waved Palestinian flags and wore headbands with Arabic scripts.

The fighting has troubled Turkey's efforts to help broker peace between Israel and its Arab opponents, forcing Turkey to suspend its mediation between Israel and Syria and leading to resignations by some of Turkey's politicians from a Turkish-Israeli friendship group.

Source: Al Jazeera and agencies

Qatar Islamic Bank eyes $1.04bn through wealth fund

by Daliah Merzaban

Qatar Islamic Bank has decided to issue new shares worth 3.8 billion riyals ($1.04 billion) to the Gulf state's sovereign wealth fund, a newspaper reported on Wednesday 2008.

Qatar Islamic Bank (QIB) signifies the beginning of a new era of development and growth at the Bank, while still adhering to the fundamental principles, values and directions stipulated by the teachings of Islam, upon which the Bank was founded as a Qatari shareholding company 25 years ago.

The new identity reflects the Bank’s present focus to sustain its position as a pioneering international Islamic banking organisation. It also signifies the Bank’s commitment to expand its presence in the international markets such as Europe, Asia, Middle East and North Africa and at the same time continue to effectively contribute to the development of the national economy.

The new logo symbolizes the Bank’s aspirations for international expansion and its dedication to remain transparent and credible. This stems from its vision to be a pioneering international Islamic bank; its mission to provide innovative Islamic financial solutions and its values of integrity, transparency, justice, cooperation, teamwork, loyalty, commitment and excellence.

Qatar Islamic shareholders approved a proposal to issue about 39.38 million new shares at their Oct. 12 closing price of 97 riyals to the Qatar Investment Authority, Gulf Times reported after a shareholder meeting.

In October, the QIA launched a $5.3 billion plan to buy stakes in listed banks to shore up investor confidence in the banking sector during the global financial crisis, which triggered a regional stock market rout.
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The QIA capital increase amounts to 20 percent, Gulf Times said.

Banks including Commercial Bank of Qatar and Doha Bank have announced similar plans as they strive to keep project financing on track in Qatar, the world's biggest exporter of liquefied natural gas.

Source : Reuters

Best Islamic Financial Institution in United Kingdom (Global Finance 2008): HSBC Amanah

HSBC Amanah is the global Islamic banking division of the HSBC Group, and was established in 1998 with the aim of making HSBC the leading provider of Islamic banking worldwide. With more than a hundred professionals serving the Middle East, Asia Pacific, Europe and the Americas, HSBC Amanah represents the largest Islamic banking team of any international bank.
The HSBC Group is one of the largest banking and financial services organisations in the world. With operations in twenty OIC member states, no international bank is more widely represented in the Muslim world than HSBC. Nor has any made a greater investment in Islamic banking. Headquartered in London, the Groups international network comprises about 10,000 offices with almost 110 million customers in 77 countries and territories in Europe, the Asia-Pacific region, the Americas, the Middle East and Africa. With a rich history of community banking and a commitment to meet the particular needs of our diverse customers, we are the world's local bank.
HSBC Amanah has won the Euromoney 2005 awards for Best Islamic Wholesale Bank and Best for Private Banking Services.
HSBC has a rich tradition of community banking, and HSBC Amanah was established to serve the particular financial needs of Muslim communities. Our mission statement and corporate values reflect this vision.
HSBC Amanah considers Shariah compliance of its business operations as its most important & strategic priority. This is reflected in its Corporate Values, "In developing our products and services, we are committed to the highest Shariah standards in the Islamic banking industry." In addition to Global Shariah Advisory Board and Regional Shariah Committees, HSBC Amanah employs a team of qualified professionals to ensure that the guidance and advice received from the Shariah Committees is implemented in letter and spirit.
HSBC Amanah brings together the largest team of any international Islamic financial services provider. We are widely recognised as a market leader in terms of global reach, innovative products and services and our investment in industry building initiatives. With more than 100 people in eight countries, the HSBC Amanah family continues to grow.

HSBC Amanah has won the following awards:
Euromoney awards, Best International Provider of Islamic Financial Services (2004), Best International Sukuk House (2004, Best Islamic Wholesale Bank (2005), Best for Private Banking Services (2005)

Award-winning transactions:
Emirates ECA-backed financing 2001, (Euromoney, Jane´s Transport Finance, Institutional Investor, Airfinance Journal), Government of Malaysia Global Sukuk - 2002,(Euromoney, Institutional Investor, Asiamoney, FinanceAsia), Emirates IV, with Islamic Development Bank - 2003, (Jane´s Transport Finance)

UAE may look to invest in US markets

DUBAI // The UAE has remained upbeat in its financial outlook and is looking to invest in US and European markets.

But a key figure in the capital has admitted feasibility of projects is being assessed because of the global financial crisis.

Soud Ba’alawy, executive chairman of Dubai Group, the diversified financial company of Dubai Holding, and Sameer al Ansari, the head of Dubai International Capital, indicated the UAE could weather the world financial crisis and look to invest in the US markets.
The two have been attending the inaugural Summit on Global Agenda, hosted by the World Economic Forum and the Dubai Government.

“There will be fantastic opportunities in the next 12 to 18 months ... and that is not exclusive to Europe and North America. There will be fantastic opportunities in Russia, India, China and this region,” Mr Ansari, who controls about US$13 billion (Dh47.75bn) in assets, said at the summit.

He said his company had done very little in 2008 and would wait until 2010 to invest in foreign markets as prices hit rock bottom.

Mr Ansari said Dubai’s estimated Dh70 billion debt was manageable and it would not need to be bailed out as the credit crunch hit the GCC.

Mr Ba’alawy said availability of cash and low interest rates could help the UAE to weather the crisis, then recover quicker than expected.

Hussain al Nowais, the chairman of Emirates Holdings and a member of the Abu Dhabi Council for Economic Development, said on the opening day of the summit Abu Dhabi was considering mergers in its banking and financial services sector because of the global crisis.

“I think the credit crisis will help us reflect and make sure the projects we are proceeding with are attractive and feasible,” Mr Nowais told Reuters news agency.
“The fundamentals of the economy are strong.”

There has been speculation the credit crunch will force banks in the region to consolidate, with tight lending conditions and slower project funding.

In September, there were rumours that the Abu Dhabi Commercial Bank would merge with the larger National Bank of Abu Dhabi to create the biggest lender in the UAE. Both banks denied it.

Addressing the opening of the inaugural Summit on Global Agenda, Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid, the Vice President of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, blamed financial policies, and not flaws in the economy, for the global financial crisis.

“I am not saying that we must have a protected economy but [we should] promote a process of co-operation to protect regional and international economies,” Sheikh Mohammed said.

There has been speculation the credit crunch will force banks in the region to consolidate, with tight lending conditions and slower project funding.

In September, there were rumours that the Abu Dhabi Commercial Bank would merge with the larger National Bank of Abu Dhabi to create the biggest lender in the UAE. Both banks denied it.

Addressing the opening of the inaugural Summit on Global Agenda, Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid, the Vice President of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, blamed financial policies, not flaws in the economy, for the global financial crisis.

“I am not saying that we must have a protected economy but [we should] promote a process of co-operation to protect regional and international economies,” Sheikh Mohammed said.

Economics and finance were among the key topics to be discussed by more than 700 experts from academia, business, government and society during the three-day conference that ends tomorrow.

Klaus Schwab, founder and executive chairman of the World Economic Forum, said: “This is an exciting and historic venture, made more timely by recent events.

“The challenges faced by the world today are more complex, more interrelated, more intractable than ever before.

“In these crucial times, what we want to do is find the right formula with transparency so that the next generation can benefit. We just have to look at the global financial crisis to see we need to do something about our future.”

Mr Klaus, speaking on the opening day, highlighted the importance of the role developing countries such as the United Arab Emirates could play in framing the future.

“Strong emerging countries have a say on how the future is shaped, and one of the reasons why we will have the summit in Dubai is because the country here has a vision and a strong growth potential,” he said.

Health, religious extremism and social values are also on the agenda for what will become an annual event. Delegates will select the 10 most important ideas for improving the state of the world.

“Problems in the world usually start in the developed countries and then hit the emerging, or developing countries,” said Mohammed Alabbar, member of the Dubai Executive Council and chairman of Emaar, who used as an example the current global economic crises that started with the crash of the US housing market.

“Dubai is a perfect place for such a historic meeting, which comes at a time when the world is facing challenges that have no parallel,” he added.

Ideas from the summit, which is held in partnership with the Government of Dubai and took 11 months to plan, will be presented at annual meeting of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, in January.
Source : The National

World reacts to Obama's victory

Gholam Ali Hadad

Iran's official news agency quoted a leading politician as saying that Obama's election win was a rejection of the policies of George Bush, the current US president.
"Obama's victory is... evidence that Bush's policies have failed," Gholam Ali Haddad Adel said, according to IRNA. "Americans have no option but to change their policies to save themselves from the quagmire Bush has created for them." The government daily newspaper Iran said in an editorial on Wednesday that McCain's failure to take the presidency lay with Bush. "Defeat for the Republicans is the price they pay for Bush's strategic and tactical blunders," the newspaper said. Mohammad Hasan Aboutorabi-Fard, Iran's deputy parliament speaker, called on Obama to make good on his promises to bring change. "Obama is expected to learn from Bush's failed policies and correct America's wrong policies in the Middle East," IRNA quoted him as saying.

Mahmoud Abbas, the Palestinian president, congratulated Obama and urged him to speed up efforts to reach an Israeli-Palestinian peace agreement. "President Abbas congratulates US president-elect Barack Obama in his name and in the name of the Palestinian people and hopes he will speed up efforts to achieve peace, particularly since a resolution of the Palestinian problem and the Israeli-Arab conflict is key to world peace," Nabil Abu Rudeina, Abbas's spokesman, said. "President Abbas hopes the new administration will continue to make the peace efforts one of its top priorities." Meanwhile, Hamas, which rules the Gaza Strip, urged Obama to learn from the "mistakes" of previous US administrations in dealing with the Muslim and Arab worlds. "He must learn from the mistakes of the previous administrations, including that of Bush which has destroyed Afghanistan, Iraq, Lebanon and Palestine," said Fawzi Barhum, a Hamas spokesman. "He must improve US ties with the rest of the world rather than wave the big American stick. "We want him to support the Palestinian cause or at least not to be biased towards the Israeli occupation. We have no problem establishing normal relations with the United States to explain our just cause." Ahmed Youssef, a Hamas senior political member, hailed the vote as historic.
"We [Hamas] do believe that if America's political equilibrium is to be restored, this political election should be the turning point. We hope that Obama will address the Palestinian issue in a fair and honest way. The Palestinian question is the mother of all issues in the region – it concerns 1.5 billion Muslims all over the world. "During the political campaign in the US, people used a lot of rhetoric … Obama said a lot of things to please the Jewish community, looking for their votes and money. We understand that. But all that rhetoric will be changed because looking at the list of Obama's advisers, I believe that they have a better understanding of the conflict in the region."

Mohsen Bilal, Syria's information minister, said on Wednesday that Damascus hopes Obama's election will lead to changes in US foreign policies in the Middle East and boost the prospect of regional peace. Bilal said he hoped Obama's win "will help change US policy from one of wars and embargos to one of diplomacy and dialogue," the Syrian news agency SANA reported.

Kgalema Motlanthe, South Africa's president, congratulated Obama on his presidential victory, saying Africa "stood proud" and looked forward to a fruitful working relationship. "Your election ... carries with it hope for millions of your countrymen and women as much as it is for millions of people of ... African descent both in the continent of Africa as well as those in the diaspora," he said.
Nelson Mandela, South Africa's first black leader, also congratualted Obama, saying that Obama's election as US president showed that anybody could dream to change the world. "Your victory has demonstrated that no person anywhere in the world should not dare to dream of wanting to change the world for a better place," Mandela wrote in a letter to Obama. The 90-year-old Mandela applauded Obama's commitment to support global peace and said he trusted that combatting poverty and disease would become the mission of Obama's presidency. "We wish you strength and fortitude in the challenging days and years that lie ahead," said Mandela. "We are sure you will ultimately achieve your dream [of] making the United States of America a full partner in a community of nations committed to peace and prosperity for all."

Khartoum expressed hope that Obama's election win would mean "real change" for the country's strained relations with the US - America has branded Sundan as a "state sponsor of terrorism". "The result of the election is a purely domestic affair, but certainly the United States, being the only big power in the world, it affects almost everything in other countries," said Ali al-Sadiq, a spokesman for Sudan's foreign ministry. "We would hope that the slogan of president Obama - 'change' - would be reflected in the foreign policy in the United States, especially towards Sudan and oppressed countries, the Palestinians, the Iraqis and the Somalis.
"We would like to see some real change between Sudan and the United States."

Abdullahi Yusuf Ahmed, the president of transitional Somali government, voiced hope that Obama would help end conflict in the world. "I am congratulating Barack Obama for his election as the president of United States of America," Yusuf said in a statement released by his spokesman. "I am hopeful that he will help end major crises in the world, particulary the endless conflict in my country Somalia. This was an historic election in which a proper leader was elected. This is a great moment for America and Africa."

Hu Jintao, China's president, congratulated Obama on his victory in the US presidential poll, saying a closer relationship btween the two nations would be "for the benefit of Chinese and American people, and people around the world".
"In a new historical era, I look forward to ... taking our bilateral relationship of constructive co-operation to a new level," Hu said in a written message, according to a statement on the Chinese foreign ministry's website.
Wen Jiabao, China's prime minister, also congratulated Obama, while Xi Jinping, the vice-president, sent a message of congratulations to Joe Biden, Obama's running mate and America's next vice-president.

Jose Manuel Barroso, president of the European Comimission, applauded Obama's victory, with Barroso calling for a "new deal". "This is a time for a renewed commitment between Europe and the United States of America," Barroso said in a statement. "We need to change the current crisis into a new opportunity. We need a new deal for a new world." "I sincerely hope that with the leadership of President Obama, the United States of America will join forces with Europe to drive this new deal. For the benefit of our societies, for the benefit of the world."
Source : Aljazeera

Best International Islamic Bank : HSBC Amanah (Euromoney)

HSBC Amanah is the global Islamic banking division of the HSBC Group, and was established in 1998 with the aim of making HSBC the leading provider of Islamic banking worldwide. With more than a hundred professionals serving the Middle East, Asia Pacific, Europe and the Americas, HSBC Amanah represents the largest Islamic banking team of any international bank.
HSBC has a rich tradition of community banking, and HSBC Amanah was established to serve the particular financial needs of Muslim communities. Our mission statement and corporate values reflect this vision.
The HSBC Amanah mission statement:
HSBC Amanah is committed to improving the lives of our customers worldwide by providing them with the highest quality Islamic banking solutions.

HSBC Amanah´s corporate values:
In developing our products and services, we are committed to the highest Shariah standards in the Islamic banking industry. We constantly strive to address the needs and concerns of our customers. Our teamwork with HSBC colleagues around the world harnesses the knowledge and resources of HSBC Group for the benefit of our customers. We are an organisation that demands and rewards excellence. We maintain high ethical standards in our business relationships and invest in the future of our communities.
HSBC Amanah considers Shariah compliance of its business operations as its most important & strategic priority. This is reflected in its Corporate Values, "In developing our products and services, we are committed to the highest Shariah standards in the Islamic banking industry." In addition to Global Shariah Advisory Board and Regional Shariah Committees, HSBC Amanah employs a team of qualified professionals to ensure that the guidance and advice received from the Shariah Committees is implemented in letter and spirit.
HSBC Amanah Global Shariah Advisory Board
The Global Shariah Advisory Board (GSAB) advises HSBC Amanah on research activities intended for further development of the Islamic finance industry. GSAB comprises of representative scholars from all Regional Shariah Committees (RSC) of HSBC Amanah in addition to other Shariah scholars of international standing. The presence of renowned scholars from various geographies at GSAB will provide an opportunity to achieve further harmonization of Shariah standards and practices of Islamic Finance Industry. The following independent Shariah scholars are currently members of GSAB.
Sheikh Justice (Retd.) Muhammad Taqi Usmani (Pakistan, Sheikh Hussain Hamid Hassan (Egypt), Dr. Muhammad Achmad Sahal Mahfudh (Indonesia), Dr. Mohammed Daud Bakar (Malaysia), Sheikh Dr. Mohamed Ali Elgari (Saudi Arabia), Sheikh Nizam Yaquby (Bahrain),and Dr. Mohammad Akram Laldin (Malaysia)
HSBC Amanah operations are closely supervised by four Regional Shariah Committees (RSCs) in addition to a Central Shariah Committee (CSC). The CSC supervises HSBC Amanah businesses as well as operations in UAE, Qatar, UK, USA and Bangladesh. The CSC comprises of following well-known scholars: Sheikh Nizam Yaquby, Sheikh Dr. Mohamed Ali Elgari and Sheikh Dr. Muhammad Imran Ashraf Usmani.

HSBC Amanah operations in Saudi Arabia, Malaysia, Indonesia and Singapore are supervised by following independent RSCs.
HSBC Amanah has won the Euromoney 2005 awards for Best Islamic Wholesale Bank and Best for Private Banking Services.
HSBC Amanah has won the following awards:
Euromoney awards : Best International Provider of Islamic Financial Services (2004), Best International Sukuk House (2004), Best Islamic Wholesale Bank (2005), Best for Private Banking Services (2005).
Award-winning transactions : Emirates ECA-backed financing 2001, (Euromoney, Jane´s Transport Finance, Institutional Investor, Airfinance Journal), Government of Malaysia Global Sukuk - 2002,(Euromoney, Institutional Investor, Asiamoney, FinanceAsia), Emirates IV, with Islamic Development Bank - 2003 and (Jane´s Transport Finance)