http://archive.gulfnews.com/articles/07/08/02/10143481.html
What causes climate change?The sun rays warm the earth. The earth sends some of those sun rays back. But not all can bounce back. The atmosphere which is made up of greenhouse gases absorbs some of these rays trying to escape the earth. This absorption by greenhouse gases is crucial for maintaining the optimum temperature of our planet. One of the main greenhouse gases is Carbon dioxide, which is the principal pollutant caused by running cars and power plants. Thus the ever increasing air pollution and deforestation causes an increase in greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, preventing reflected rays from escaping the atmosphere, leading to an increase in global warming and climate change.
The most notable exceptions to Kyoto are Australia and the United States. America has less than 5 percent of the world's population but produces close to a quarter of the world's emissions. It still has the audacity to reject Kyoto and oppose all proposals for significant reduction in greenhouse gas emissions. The US dubs the treaty "fatally flawed", partly because it does not require developing countries to commit to emissions reductions. Further it sees the higher energy costs to have calamitous consequences on the US economy and believes that emissions reductions must be achieved through voluntary action and new energy technologies.
Everyone should first realize the importance of preserving and safeguarding the ecology. Man has been sent on this earth by Allah as His vicegerent. Thus it is the duty of man to protect the earth and the fine balance of the ecosystems that has been gifted to us by God. The Prophet (peace be upon him) said, "If any Muslim plants any plant and a human being or an animal eats of it, he will be rewarded as if he had given that much in charity." He (peace be upon him) also said: Whenever a Muslim plants a tree, he has the reward of charity for him, for what is eaten out of that is charity; what is stolen out of that, what the beast eat out of that, what the birds eat out of that is charity for him. (In short) none incurs a loss to him but it becomes a charity on his part." Let us rise above politics and protect the environment to the best of our ability.
Both the World Bank and International Monetary Fund are headquartered in Washington. An unwritten rule establishes that the IMF's managing director must be European and that the president of the World Bank an American. Decisions are made by a vote of the Board of Executive Directors representing member countries but unlike the United Nations, where each member nation has an equal vote, voting power at the World Bank and IMF is determined by the level of a nation's financial contribution. The United States has roughly 17% of the vote with the G7 holding about 45 %. This clever scheme ensures that the United States always has a dominant voice and can exercise an effective veto at will. Even though the World Bank is a multilateral institution of 184 member governments, its presidency is widely assumed to be owned by the White House. Europe seems happy to play along, presumably to ensure its own "ownership" of other international posts. The 150-plus developing countries are relegated to the back benches.
The various reasons citied for poverty include unequal distribution of natural resources, overpopulation and historical factors like imperialism and colonialism. Some say the lack of democracy and free trade with the lack of education, infrastructure, health care and education make more and more people poor.
Some of the salient features of Islamic economy are:* Each person to cater for his subsistence by his own labour* The final owner of all is Allah, man is a temporary custodian of material resources and will be accountable both in this world and the Hereafter on how well he carried out his responsibilty of spending the resources at his disposal according to the Will of the Creator* Right to private property and means of production is permissible but subject to regulation * Wealth accumulation is permissible through work and inheritance, but wasteful expenditure (israf) is not allowed* Charity and mutual support is highly encouraged and multiple reward promised in the Hereafter * Rights of the poor and needy are institutionalized in the system of Zakat as a compulsory levy of 2.5% on wealth and 5 to 10 % on agricultural produce to be distributed to specified categories in society when annual wealth exceeds a minimum level called nisab.* Prices must be just and can be formed based on competitive market mechanism.* Monopolization and hoarding to be combated and eliminated* Monetary policy to ensure that there are sufficient funds to boost the economy and at the same time ensure that there is no inflation. This can be achieved by abandoning the exisiting fiat currency and going back to the gold standard. * Fiscal policy to ensure a balanced budget whereby income and revenues will match public expenditure.* State to provide basic infrastructure facilities and a just legal system that manages a level playing field for all economic players.
According to WHO the demand for human organ transplants far exceeds supply, fuelling the growing trend of "transplant tourism" from wealthy countries to developing nations where organs can be bought. Reports on 'transplant tourism' show that it makes up an estimated 10% of global transplantation practices.66,000 kidneys were transplanted in 2005 catering to a mere 10% of the estimated need. In the same year, 21,000 livers and 6,000 hearts were transplanted.
Recent estimates communicated to WHO by 98 countries show that the most sought after organ is the kidney. Since a person can live with only one kidney, people in poor countries are lured into selling one of them to a person in need. The poor donors are offered hefty sums for a kidney, but in the end they receive only about half because middlemen take the rest. In Western countries package deals are advertised on the internet for as low as $12,000 or $ 20,000 to receive a kidney and seven days of hospitalization in the transplant country. However live donations are not without risk, whether the organ is paid for or not and the donor must receive proper medical follow-up which is often lacking when he or she is seen as a means to profit-making. WHO recommends using organs from deceased persons as it eliminates the problem of donor safety and can help reduce organ trafficking.
The Supreme Council of `Ulama in Riyadh (in their resolution no. 99 dated 6 Dhul Qi'dah 1402) has allowed both organ donation and organ transplantation in the case of necessity. The Fiqh Academy of the Muslim World League, Makkah also allowed organ donation and transplantation in its 8th session held between 28 Rabi'ul Thani- 7 Jumadal Ula, 1405.
It is important to note that most of the jurists have only allowed the donation of the organs. They do not allow the sale of human organs. Their position is that the sale of human organs violates the rules of the dignity and honor of the human being, and so it would be haram in that case. Some jurists suggest that because people have become too materialistic and it may not be possible to find a free organ, under necessity one can purchase the organs, but a Muslim should never sell his/her organs."
Muslim scholars have stipulated certain conditions for someone to donate his/her organ.
1. He/she must be a person who is in full possession of his/her faculties so that he/she is able to make a sound decision by himself/herself;
2. He/she must be an adult and, preferably, at least twenty-one years old;
3. It should be done on his/her own free will without any external pressure exerted on him/ her; 4. The organ he/she is donating must not be a vital organ on which his/her survival or sound health is dependent upon;
5. No transplantation of sexual organs is allowed.
Similarly there are some conditions associated with deceased donors
1. The transplant must be done after having ascertained the free consent of the donor prior to his /her death. It can be through a will to that effect, or signing the donor card, etc.
2. In a case where organ donation consent was not given prior to a donor's death, the consent may be granted by the deceased's closest relatives who are in a position to make such decisions on his/her behalf.
3. It must be an organ or tissue that is medically determined to be able to save the life or maintain the quality of life of another human being.
4. The organ must be removed only from the deceased person after the death has been ascertained through reliable medical procedures.
5. Organs can also be harvested from the victims of traffic accidents if their identities are unknown, but it must be done only following the valid decree of a judge
Organ transplant is a double edged sword. Boon if you use it, bane if misused.
Let us see for ourselves what the forces of modernity have achieved for their societies.
UK leads the pack of countries which have high rate of teenage pregnancies. In 2005 there were 39,683 conceptions by girls between 15 to 17 years of age. That translates to about 40 girls per thousand. The conception rate for those between 13 and 15 years was around 8 per thousand. If this was the conception rate we shudder to think about what the abortion rate might have been?
In a survey carried by the United States Department of Justice in Dec 2000 to study the sexual victimization of college women, it was found that for every 1000 women there may well be 35 incidents of attempted and completed rape in a given academic year.
The statistics for child abuse, paedophiling, incest, molestation and domestic violence in those countries who claim to be bastions of freedom and openness are equally depressing.
This miserable state of affairs is in those countries where both sex and sex education are not considered anti-ethical; where consensual sex is not stigmatized and all avenues to vent repressed sexual desires are legal and easily available.
We fail to understand why the mainstream media missed these facts and indulged in spreading misinformation assuming a gullible public.
It is moral and not sex education that is the need of the hour. We appeal to give innocence a chance.
Now come to the niqab. It is true that some Muslim scholars say the the niqab is not compulsory.Yet it is also undeniable that its followers derive their proof of practice from the Quran and Sunna. The proponents of the niqab argue besides asserting through divine text that the face being the index of ones personality, it is highly recommended to protect it from evil glances.The non-niqabi hijabi is comfortable without it and is confident of carrying on. Its all about perception and comfort-zone.
Read more...