IRFN (August 14-20): Tanzanian MPs Split on Introduction of Islamic Courts

 

Feature: The Arastamar Evangelical School of Theology has reluctantly agreed to shut its 20-year-old campus in east Jakarta while hundreds of its Christian theology students have been living in tents since a mob of Muslim neighbors stormed their campus last month. The Associated Press reported that the government has not taken any steps to protect the Theology school. AP has more. 

 

 

DODOMA – Christian and Muslim MPs are sharply divided over the establishment of Islamic courts, The Citizen reported on August 15. Christian MPs asserted that the establishment of special courts would be unconstitutional and threaten peace in the nation. Muslim MPs have insisted that the special courts are an inseparable part of the Islamic faith, and so must be established. The Muslim MPs said that since the issue was stipulated in the 2005 CCM election manifesto the legislation supporting religious courts cannot be blocked. The issue is further complicated in that both Muslim and Christians taxpayers' money will be used to fund the establishment and operations of the Islamic courts.

 

 

BUCHAREST – The Orthodox Church has increased pressure on the government not to implement education reforms which would revamp the curricula and decrease religious instruction in the classroom, Reuters reported on August 14. Parliament is set to review the proposed education reforms, supported by nongovernmental organizations, before government elections in November. Andrei, a 12 year old Adventist, describes the religious discrimination he faces at school in Bucharest: "Some of my classmates push me outside the door before their religion class, others ask me why am I not Orthodox, the same way the priest had asked my parents." The school priest had attempted to convert Andrei to Romania's Orthodox Christianity as the school could not hire a religion teacher for Adventists.

 

 

CAIRO - Hamdy El Sayed, head of the Doctors’ Syndicate in Egypt, has refuted claims made by human rights activists that the draft organ transplant law discriminates between Muslims and Christians, Daily News Egypt reported on August 18. The draft law would permit organ transplants only between family members. Additionally, the draft law would ban organs from being donated to persons of different religions or ethnicities other than the donor. Naguib Gabriel, head of the Egyptian Human Rights Union, told Daily News Egypt that “It’s a racist law that calls for discrimination and it discriminates between the Coptic Christians and the Muslim donors and made it less likely for sick patients to get their organ transplants.” However, El Sayed has claimed that the intent of the proposed law is to combat illegal organ trafficking, in the hope of protecting the poor who are coerced into selling their organs for cash.

 

 

SAN’A – A security official announced on August 18 that Yemen has detained at least 9 individuals on charges of conversion since May of this year, and that they are still in police custody, AP reported on August 19. In Yemen, conversion from Islam is illegal and can be punishable by death. A relative of Hani el-Dahayni, who was detained in May, expressed fear that Hani would be tortured and abused in prison. For security reasons the relative refused to provide his name.