Islamic Council Research Articles

Design of the Administrative Building of Kuhsar City under a Sustainable Architecture Concept Approach

This study investigates a sustainable approach in the design of the administrative building of the municipality and Islamic council of Kuhsar city, Iran. The initial design is inspired by a flower bud and the various stages of the design are described using actual images, 2-D plans and 3-D models. An extra focus is given to sustainable elements. Overall the design aims to deliver an energy sufficient yet aesthetically pleasing building.

ISSUES AND JURISTIC OPINIONS ON THE INVESTMENT OF WAQF FUNDS: AN OVERVIEW FROM THE ENDOWMENT FUND OF KELANTAN ENDOWMENT COMMITTEE

ABSTRACT Wakaf is linked to a variety of fields, such as religious, educational, cultural, social and economic. There are several problems and issues facing the Malaysian endowment management as a whole, and Kelantan in particular. Some of the problems and issues are lack of academically and administratively qualified personnel in the Wakaf sections/departments, lack of standard system for preserving wakaf assets, lack of standard system procedure for the transfer of wakaf items to the Endowment Committee, and so on. There are several contemporary problems and issues surrounding Wakaf management and organization, and the most prevalent of which is the issue of investing Wakaf funds. This is so because it is of great interest to the Malaysian Islamic institutions or the Malaysian Islamic council. Based on the importance of the subject, we have seen the need to examine wakaf applications to Kelantan endowment committee. This study is comprised of four sections, namely: the emergence of the Kelantan Endowment Committee and its objectives; the rule of investing endowment funds from the Islamic jurists’ perspective; contemporary decisions on the issue of investing Wakaf funds; and investment of Wakaf funds in the Kelantan endowment committee. The most important finding of the study is that the Kelantan Endowment Commission relates to several fields, as stated by the researchers. It is hoped that the study and its findings will benefit the researchers, the needy ones, as well as the authorities of Wakaf institutions and committees. Keywords: Investment, Wakaf (Endowment) funds, Endowment committee.

ASSESSMENT AND PRIORITIZATION OF THE URBAN MANAGEMENT CHALLENGES IN ORDER TO EMPOWER MANAGEMENT SYSTEM (CASE STUDY: THE CITIES OF SISTAN AND BALUCHESTAN PROVINCE)

The expansion of cities has led the designers, urban planners and experts to study the various aspects of urban management, urban development and analysis of management diversity to present new solutions. City and urban management are concepts that have close relations with each other. The interaction between elements of urban management that includes citizens, institutions of the city administration, Islamic council and the private sector can improve the performance of urban management. So, the goal of the present research is assessment and prioritization of the urban management challenges in order to empower management system (case study: the cities of Sistan and Baluchestan province). The research method is descriptive- analytic and documentary and library studies and based on field investigations. The weight of indexes suggests that the index of identical model of administration of the city of all cities with a final weight of 0.59 has allocated the highest rank and the index of restrictions on the tasks of urban management institutions and with the final weight of 0.15 have allocated the lowest rank. Finally, after determining the final weight of indices, the final weight of cities was studied. According to the results of analysis, it was shown that comparing to other studied cities, the cities of Zahedan, Zabol, Iranshahar are preferred.

The Southern Palestine Bedouin between Colonialism and Nationalism: Comparing Representations in British Mandatory Documents and Palestinian Newspapers, 1930–1948

Based on British archival documents and Palestinian newspapers from the 1930s, the paper draws some conclusions on the representation of the Beersheba (Bir al-Sabi') Bedouinin both British colonial discourse and in the press and voices of Palestinian nationalism. By reviewing British archival documents, including private diaries of British officers, I argue that the British colonial authorities developed strategies and practices to rule the Beersheba Bedouin as a group separate and disconnected from the rest of the Palestinian communities in Mandate Palestine. This contrasts with the Palestinian newspapers—al-Difa', Falastin, Huna al-Quds, al Carmel—that from the 1930s and 1940s presented the Bedouin as an active agent in the Palestinian body politic, participating in numerous outlets, such as in the Higher Arab Committee, the Higher Islamic Council in Jerusalem and Gaza, as well as in Palestinian conferences.

Rating the Aspects of Tourist Development in the Villages of Mamasani County

Rating the Aspects of Tourist Development in the Villages of Mamasani County

Jurisprudence of Minorities (Fiqh al-Aqaliyyat) Revisited

In an earlier issue of this journal I introduced the jurisprudence of minorities as being in many ways a new branch of the traditional fiqh that had hitherto remained underdeveloped and is now a work in progress among Muslim scholars and jurists. The present essay is an extension of that discussion and adds practical illustrations of responses by the Islamic Council of Europe (ICE) to issues facing Muslim minorities in Europe.

Jurisprudence of Minorities ( Fiqh Al-Aqaliyyat ) : Revisited

In an earlier issue of this journal I introduced the jurisprudence of minorities as being in many ways a new branch of the traditional fiqh that had hitherto remained underdeveloped and is now a work in progress among Muslim scholars and jurists. The present essay is an extension of that discussion and adds practical illustrations of responses by the Islamic Council of Europe (ICE) to issues facing Muslim minorities in Europe.Â

DISCOURSE OF CONVERTS: DEFINITIONS AND SOME IMPLICATIONS IN THE CONTEMPORARY MUSLIM SOCIETY

A This article seeks to delve into the dimension of converts through a debate of the definition and implications towards the contemprary Muslim society especially in Malaysia. There are several terms that have been used by our Muslim communities in Malaysia as substitute to the meaning converts itself such as New members, Muslim brothers/sisters and Our members. These terms are seen to be closer to the Muslim community as the meanings are more inclusive like togetherness, amicability, brotherhood, solidarity as compared to the word mualaf (converts) itself. Multi-racial and cross-cultural factors in Malaysia also give an impact to the definition of converts so much so that the impact is overwhelming to the Muslim institutions in charge of the welfare of converts, especially in terms of the zakat as aid distributed to this group. In this article, the definition of converts will be debated in detail and comprehensively according to the views raised by ulama and interpretations from the traditional and contemporary Islamic perspectives. With this in mind, several great implications from the branding of converts will be analysed through the practice of converts management by authorities such as State Islamic Council and State Zakat Institution in developing and empowering converts.

Hungry for housing: waqf real estate development - a social welfare alternative

Islam has outlined 4 important elements to achieve fruitful life in the duniya and the akhirah. A famed hadith of Rasulullah (peace be upon him) meaning “Four things that will bring joy to a person, which is (owning) a pious woman (wife), a good house (spacious), a good neighbour, and a great vehicle” (Hadith narrated by Ibnu Hibban. It is clear from this hadith that Islam emphasised ownership of a comfortable home. The polemic remains that with skyrocketing housing prices in the market, would the low and middle income groups afford housing that is safe, comfortable and secure? Realising the importance of living in a secure and safe house, this study aims at investigating the possibility of leveraging the upward trend of waqf real estate development in empowering the Muslims’ economy in the country. Towards this end, the authors have conducted a study by collating primary and secondary data obtained from the Penang State Islamic Religious Council (Majlis Agama Islam Pulau Pinang) for analysis. Thus the Penang Islamic Council is the study site. Semi structured interviews were conducted with 2 waqf officials who are in charge of coordinating waqf real estate developments in Penang. Based on the study conducted, it was found that Penang State Islamic Religious Council has succeeded in enhancing value added to waqf real estate developments through the implementation of 9 housing project developments using the ijarah concept. The Penang State Islamic Religious Council has enabled the low medium income groups to stay in comfortable and safe housing by utilising such holistic and efficient waqf product developments under shariah guidelines.

The Making of Arab Americans: From Syrian Nationalism to U.S. Citizenship

The Making of Arab Americans: From Syrian Nationalism to U.S. Citizenship

The Making of Arab Americans: From Syrian Nationalism to U.S. Citizenship

The Making of Arab Americans: From Syrian Nationalism to U.S. Citizenship

Standardisation of Fatwa in Malaysia: Issues, Concerns and Expectations

The establishment of the institution of fatwa can be traced back before the independence of Malaysia. In the beginning, a Mufti was placed under the respective Islamic Councils. To a certain extent, a Mufti was also a judge (kadi) and presided over cases in the Shari’ah courts. Legally, a Mufti’s views are not considered as fatwas. Only fatwas issued by the respective States’ Fatwa Committees are regarded as fatwas. A fatwa is binding upon Muslims of the state where it is issued after being consented to by the Sultan and later gazetted. The problem is that more often than not, conflicting fatwas at state and national levels do occur, and this has led to confusion and problems. This article attempts to analyse the problems surrounding the conflicting fatwas. It suggests that the standardisation of fatwas at state and federal levels could be done by requesting the respective States’ Fatwa Committees to abide by the fatwas issued by the National Fatwa Committee. It is also suggested that fatwas issued by the respective States’ Fatwa Committees should be brought up to the National Fatwa Council for standardisation. It is also suggested that a Grand Mufti should be appointed on rotational basis like the selection of the Yang Di Pertuan Agong, after being consented to by the Council of Rulers. However, the position of Grand Mufti will not supersede the position of the respective States’ Muftis.

Managing Religion in a Global World: The United Nation's ruling against Norwegian Religious Education

In 2004, after a group of parents supported by the Norwegian Humanist Association and the Norwegian Islamic Council brought litigation against the state to the United Nations (UN), the mandatory teaching of religious education (RE) in Norway was found to be in violation of the Human Rights Codes of article 18, paragraph 4, of the Covenant by the UN Human Rights Committee. In light of the above, this study asks what role Christianity plays in the state of Norway's discourse of integration, and how this is managed in the face of supranational censure from secularized global institutions such as the UN. This is a qualitative study that critically explores official documents from the Norwegian government and the UN Human Rights Committee. The debate is situated within the theoretical framework of Foucault's (1999) ‘technologies of pastoral power’ which morphed into modern forms of ‘governmentality’, and aspects of secularization thesis in making sense of the potential ‘re/desacralizing’ effect of supranational policing of national religious space. It is argued that the Universal Declaration on Human Rights, as a manifestly Western document rooted in liberal individualism and social contractarian theories is poorly equipped in grappling with worldviews rooted in other epistemologies.

Standardisation of Fatwa in Malaysia : Issues , Concerns and Expectations

The establishment of the institution of fatwa can be traced back before the independence of Malaysia. In the beginning, a Mufti was placed under the respective Islamic Councils. To a certain extent, a Mufti was also a judge (kadi) and presided over cases in the Shari’ah courts. Legally, a Mufti’s views are not considered as fatwas. Only fatwas issued by the respective States’ Fatwa Committees are regarded as fatwas. A fatwa is binding upon Muslims of the state where it is issued after being consented to by the Sultan and later gazetted. The problem is that more often than not, conflicting fatwas at state and national levels do occur, and this has led to confusion and problems. This article attempts to analyse the problems surrounding the conflicting fatwas. It suggests that the standardisation of fatwas at state and federal levels could be done by requesting the respective States’ Fatwa Committees to abide by the fatwas issued by the National Fatwa Committee. It is also suggested that fatwas issued by the respective States’ Fatwa Committees should be brought up to the National Fatwa Council for standardisation. It is also suggested that a Grand Mufti should be appointed on rotational basis like the selection of the Yang Di Pertuan Agong, after being consented to by the Council of Rulers. However, the position of Gand Mufti will not supersede the position of the respective States’ Muftis.

The Classification of Risks of Drinking Water Resources in Rural Mountains Using TOPSIS and AHP Models (Case Study: Barroud Dehestan of Kashmar County)

The Classification of Risks of Drinking Water Resources in Rural Mountains Using TOPSIS and AHP Models (Case Study: Barroud Dehestan of Kashmar County)

Guidelines on Halal Tourism Management in the Andaman Sea Coast of Thailand

The purposes of the research were to:1) evaluate the potential of existing Halal tourist places and to rank them; 2) examine (current) Halal tourism management practices in the Andaman Sea coast of Thailand catering for travelers from Muslim countries and; 3) propose feasible guidelines on Halal tourism management in this area. The sample groups were government officers working in the tourism-related sections, administrators in the sub-district administrative organization offices in the provinces along the Andaman Sea coast, community leaders, tour guides, officers of the provincial offices of the Islamic Council in the Andaman Sea coast, Muslim tourists from Muslim countries and officers of the Central Islamic Council of Thailand. The research instruments included a questionnaire, observations and focus group discussions. The findings suggests that Halal tourism operators must provide prayer rooms for Muslim tourists as well as the direction signs to the mosque either in English or Arabic, separate restrooms for men and women. In addition, Halal restaurants should be provided in tourist attraction areas.

Mortality patterns among critically ill children in a pediatric intensive care unit of a developing country.

Sir, Siddiqui et al. addressed in their interesting study that limitation of life support treatment (do not resuscitate [DNR] + withdrawal of life support treatment) was found to be the most common cause of death among critically ill children in the pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) and parents were always involved in the end-of-life (EOL) care decision-making.[1] It is obvious that different religions have considered that the preservation of life is sacrosanct. The ethical principle of preservation of life is to treat a patient's illness with the aim of prolonging life. However, this concept has been recently re-evaluated in the light of evolution of many factors affecting survival and quality of life of critically ill patients such as an often incurable or at least doubtfully curable underlying illness, treatment cost, therapy-related complications, severe pain, and immunosuppression. Important intercontinental differences do exist toward EOL issues in PICUs. Although the legal and ethical situation is rapidly evolving, a certain degree of paternalism seems to persist among European and South-American caregivers. Moreover, ethical principles depend on the cultural roots of countries or continents, emphasizing the need to foster dialogue on EOL issues around the world to learn from each other and improve EOL care in PICUs.[2] The Islamic religion viewpoint on EOL issues necessitates meticulous attention in Muslim countries, including Pakistan. At several Islamic juridical council meetings held in Mecca, Jeddah, and Amman over the past few decades, Muslim jurists of different schools ruled that once invasive treatment has been intensified to save the life of a critical patient, lifesaving equipment cannot be turned off unless the physicians are certain about the inevitability of death. The Islamic religion concepts concerning DNR decision have been clarified by the Presidency of the Administration of Islamic Research and Ifta, Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, in their fatwa No. 12086 issued on 30.6.1409 (Hijra) (1988 [AD]). The fatwa states that: “If three knowledgeable and trustworthy physicians agreed that the patient condition is hopeless; the life supporting machines can be withheld or withdrawn. The family members’ opinion is not included in decision making as they are unqualified to make such decisions.”[3] Actually, no obstacles do exist in the implementation of that prerequisite in intensive care units in Muslim countries. Islamic law governs EOL legal issues in Muslim countries as there is a specific legal terminology, derived from the Qura’an (holy book of Muslims) and Sunnah (verses of Prophet Muhammad [peace be upon him]), which is used to settle conflicts in EOL care. This contrasts with the nonMuslim countries, particularly in America and Europe, which has a secular system of law that informs EOL issues. Hence, it would be difficult for Muslims who constitute minorities in these countries to follow Qura’an and Sunnah laws in making EOF decisions for terminally-ill patients.

The Role of Rural Managers in the Social, Economic, Physical Development of Village: A Case Study in Rezvan village

Abstract. The purpose of this paper is to examine the rural management developments in the country. The rise in urbanization and its problems, such as informal housing, unemployment and pollution propose the living in rural areas as a desirable option. However, sustainable rural development requires institutionalized and efficient rural management with features such as sustainable organizational resources and social participation. Participatory development is an approach that focuses on planners during the planning by the people and for the people. Self-sufficient village office establishment in the village and rapid expansion of them from early 2001 was the latest development for organizing rural management. However, the persistence of structural problems such as lack of human capital, centralized bureaucracy system and lack of sustainable financial resources are challenges that if to be ignored, they can act as barriers to rural management. Keywords: public management, village assistant, Islamic Council of Village, developmental participation

Pengurusan Zakat Asnaf Mualaf di Negeri Johor: Satu Sorotan

The converts are among those who are eligible to receive zakat. The effectiveness of zakat institutions in managing the charity?s funds will ensure the objectives of charity that aim to make them steadfast and devoted, and maintain their religious commitment to Islam. In the Malaysian context, the management of the charity is under state charity institutions. This article looks at the management of the charity by the Johore Islamic Council. It reviews the existing problems in the management and also the extent of help that this charity provides to the converts. Jurists debate the rights of the converts, and the programmes implemented by Majlis Agama Islam Johor that are associated with this group are analysed. The findings highlight the areas of improvement needed in the management of the rights of converts. This study is based on qualitative research through the analysis of documents obtained from various sources, including the Ukhuwwah Unit, the Johor Religious Department and interviews with officials. The study revealed that substantial allocations are devoted to the development of these recipients. What can be concluded is that the role of the Johor Islamic Religious Council and all parties of authority in managing the conversion in Johor must be strengthened in order to achieve the main objective of distribution of alms to the converts, which is ta'lif al-qulub.

How Can Citizens Take Part in Administrating a City ? : Case Study : Sirjan , Iran

The Importance and necessity of participation in all aspects of personal and social life is not a mystery. Currently, citizen's participation in political and social affairs is taken in all developed countries. and many developing countries. Urban management will fail in having the evolution, solidarity and dynamism without the active and direct participation of the masses. People and citizens' participation in urban management process is an opportunity for managers and municipal officials, so that they could do better in decision making while satisfying the citizens. This survey is trying to study the role of the public participation in the urban optimal management of Islamic council of Sirjan (a city of Iran). The population of this study is all staff and members of the city council and Sirjan's municipality. In order to designing the model, after reviewing the previous research and looking up with experts, eleven components of the public participation in the urban optimal management was identified. Library resources, articles and case studies were used for collecting the theoretical principles and also a questionnaire was used to examine the role of the public participation in optimal urban management. After analyzing the data using Pearson and Spearman correlation method, study results supported a Significant relationship between planning, decision making, organization, membership, social awareness, municipal ownership, social belonging and satisfaction with city services on attracting the participation of the masses in the urban optimal management.