Obama doesn’t ‘worry’ Israel, Americans are ‘Stupid’

By Ali Baghdadi

Israel does not seem to have gotten the message President Barack Hussein Obama attempted to convey. It does not seem to worry about negative ramifications the Israeli assault on Gaza might have on the new U.S. administration. The response of Tzipora Menache, an Israeli spokeswoman, came loud and clear:

“You know very well, and the stupid Americans know equally well, that we control their government, irrespective of who sits in the White House. You see, I know it and you know it that no American president can be in a position to challenge us even if we do the unthinkable. What can they (Americans) do to us? We control Congress, we control the media, we control show biz, and we control everything in America. In America you can criticize God, but you can’t criticize Israel.” Read more...

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Interest and Islamic Banking

Contemporary Issues - Bilal Philips



Institute of Islamic Banking and Insurance - Islamic Financial System

Islamic Financial System

Describing the Islamic financial systemsimply as "interest-free" does not provide a true picture of the system as a whole. While prohibiting the receipt and payment of interest is the nucleus of the system, it is supported by other principles of Islamic teachings advocating individuals' rights and duties, property rights, equitable distribution of wealth, risk-sharing, fulfilment of obligations and the sanctity of contracts. Similarly, the Islamic financial system is not limited to banking but covers insurance, capital formation, capital markets, and all types of financial intermediation and suggests that moral and ethical aspects in the regulatory framework are also necessary in addiiton to prudent and sound controls.

 

 The philosophical foundation of an Islamic financial system goes beyond the interaction of factors of production and economic behavior. The Islamic financial system can be fully appreciated only in the context of Islam's teachings on the business ethic, wealth distribution, social and economic justice, and the role of the state. Whereas the conventional financial system focuses primarily on the economic and financial aspects of transactions, the Islamic system places equal emphasis on the ethical, moral, social, and religious dimensions, to enhance equality and fairness `the principles of Islamic law (Shari’ah) and its practical application through the development of Islamic economics. Practitioners and clients need not be Muslims, but they must accept the ethical restrictions underscored by Islamic values.

 

Islamic finance may be viewed as a form of ethical investing, or ethical lending, except that no loans are possible unless they are interest-free. The general objectives (maqsid) of Islamic finance transactions may be summarised as below:

• To be true to the Shari’ah principles;
• Should be free from unjust enrichment;
• Must be based on true consent of all parties; must be an integral part of a real trade or economic activity such as a sale, lease, manufacture or partnership.

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Islamic banking and finance - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Islamic banking (Arabic: مصرفية إسلامية‎) is banking or banking activity that is consistent with the principles of sharia (Islamic law) and its practical application through the development of Islamic economics. As such, a more correct term for Islamic banking is sharia compliant finance.^[1]
Sharia prohibits acceptance of specific interest or fees for loans of money (known as riba, or usury), whether the payment is fixed or floating. Investment in businesses that provide goods or services considered contrary to Islamic principles (e.g. pork or alcohol) is also haraam ("sinful and prohibited"). Although these prohibitions have been applied historically in varying degrees in Muslim countries/communities to prevent unIslamic practices, only in the late 20th century were a number of Islamic banks formed to apply these principles to private or semi-private commercial institutions within the Muslim community.^[2][3]
As of 2014, sharia compliant financial institutions represented approximately 1% of total world assets.^[4] By 2009, there were over 300 banks and 250 mutual funds around the world complying with Islamic principles^[5] and as of 2014 total assets of around $2 trillion were sharia-compliant.^[6] According to Ernst & Young, although Islamic Banking still makes up only a fraction of the banking assets of Muslims,^[7] it has been growing faster than banking assets as a whole, growing at an annual rate of 17.6% between 2009 and 2013, and is projected to grow by an average of 19.7% a year to 2018.^[6]

 

Capital Unit's Stumble Puts GE At Risk

by Chris Arnold

But right now some analysts think GE is in serious trouble. It recently cut its stock dividend to raise money after promising investors it wouldn't do that. Its stock price took a massive dive earlier this month — to around $6 a share, from around $40 a year ago.

"Well, to see GE taken apart down to $6 a share was a remarkable event because it is such a global, diverse company," says David Kotok, chief investment officer of Cumberland Advisors. Read more & Listen to the report...

UN sees grave war crime in Gaza war

A United Nations human rights investigator says the Israeli military action on densely populated Gaza Strip constitutes grave war crime.

Richard Falk, UN special rapporteur on human rights in the Palestinian territories, said under the Geneva Conventions if warring forces cannot distinguish between military targets and surrounding civilians, "launching the attacks is inherently unlawful and would seem to constitute a war crime of the greatest magnitude under international law."

"On the basis of the preliminary evidence available, there is reason to reach this conclusion," said Falk's annual 26-page report to the UN Human Rights Council. Read more...

Report: Communities of Color Bear Heaviest Burden in Recession

DemocracyNow!

MAYA WILEY: Well, I want to step back for a minute, because I think there’s one part of this meltdown story that is not getting told enough, although some people are starting to tell it. I mean, obviously everyone knows that we started in this crisis with the mortgage crisis. Well, 35 percent of subprime mortgage holders were actually eligible for prime-rate loans. 35 percent. So imagine if we had had a financing system where people actually fairly got the loans that they should get. Most of those are people of color. And even when you look at the expansion of the subprime industry, a lot of it was around the fact that communities of color didn’t have fair access to credit. So we’re in this mess in part because we didn’t look at the warning signs. The warning signs for our economy were in communities of color. We tend to be first—hit first and hit hardest. Read more...

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Diplomats amend U.N. racism text to draw in West

Israel and Canada have already withdrawn from the World Conference against Racism, scheduled for April 20-24, amid fears that Arab nations will use it to attack Israel. The United States and Australia said they planned to do the same unless the wording of the previous draft was altered radically.

The latest draft declaration, a compromise 17-page text issued by Russian working group chairman Yuri Boychenko after private consultations, omits any reference to the Middle East conflict as well as defamation of religion. Read more...

New Durban 2 statement still singles out Israel - Ha'aretz

Durban II revisions don’t sit well with Israel - Jewish Telegraphic Agency

Israel's ambassador to Geneva still concerned by UN racism draft - Jerusalem Post

U.S. Endorses U.N. Gay Rights Text

The Obama administration on Wednesday formally endorsed a U.N. statement calling for the worldwide decriminalization of homosexuality, a measure that former President George W. Bush had refused to sign.

___________________________________

When it was voted on in December, 66 of the U.N.'s 192 member countries signed the nonbinding declaration, which backers called an historic step to push the General Assembly to deal more forthrightly with anti-gay discrimination. It was endorsed by all 27 European Union members as well as Japan, Australia and Mexico.

But 70 U.N. members outlaw homosexuality — and in several, homosexual acts can be punished by execution. More than 50 nations, including members of the Organization of the Islamic Conference, opposed the declaration.

Some Islamic countries said at the time that protecting sexual orientation could lead to "the social normalization and possibly the legalization of deplorable acts" such as pedophilia and incest. The declaration was also opposed by the Vatican.  Read more...

Netanyahu embraces threat to US security

Israeli prime minister-designate Benjamin Netanyahu has tapped a former spy feared by the United States as his national security advisor.

Sources close to Netanyahu have confirmed that Uzi Arad will be Israel's next national security adviser, The Washington Times reported Tuesday.

The former Mossad chief has been denied entry into the United States during the past two years based on the grounds that he is a security risk.

Arad was implicated in the indictment of former Pentagon analyst Lawrence Franklin, who pleaded guilty in 2005 to providing classified information about Iran to two employees of the American-Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC). Read more...

"We Know the Nature of the Beast"

Chuck Norris claims thousands of right wing cell groups exist and will rebel against U.S. government

Ron Moore

The call by some right wing leaders for rebellion and for the military to refuse the commander in chief’s orders is joined by Chuck Norris who claims that thousands of right wing cell groups have organized and are ready for a second American Revolution. During an appearance on the Glen Beck radio show he promised that if things get any worse from his point of view he may “run for president of Texas.” The martial artist/actor/activist claims that Texas was never formally a part of the United States in the first place and that if rebellion is to come through secession Texas would lead the way. Read more...

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Cynthia McKinney addresses the National Coalition of Blacks for Reparations in America

Powerful Lecture.

Keynote
Producer: Jeffrey Keating
Length: 22m 10s

[Watch]

http://www.freespeech.org/fscm2/contentviewer.php?content_id=1779

Far right Israel coalition deal

Israel's Prime Minister-designate Benjamin Netanyahu has signed his first coalition deal with controversial far right leader Avigdor Lieberman. Netanyahu's deal with the Yisrael Beitenu Party is his first step to forging a right-wing government that could be on a collision course with Obama administration's goals of seeking a Palestinian state.

The HIV Epidemic in West Africa - No Match for Washington DC

Nearly 3,000 of every 100,000 people living in the nation's capital have HIV or AIDS, according to a report that will be released by D.C. health officials Monday.

That's a little more than 15,000 people with the disease -- a total that well exceeds the 1 percent threshold for what makes up a "generalized and severe epidemic," according to the 2008 epidemiology report. Read more...

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• HIV/AIDS Numbers Rise In Washington, D.C. All Things Considered