Entries from April 2007 ↓

I recently listened to an interesting discussion on the BBC with a number of public relations experts including Eric Dezenhall, author of a new book called Damage Control: Why Everything You Know About Crisis Management Is Wrong and owner of Dezenhall Resources.

The discussion centered on corporate crisis management and how companies should approach major issues such as the Exxon Valdez crises or the famous “unintended acceleration” issue that decimated Audi in the United States.

The classic public relations approach is that the problem faced in such a situation is ultimately one of communication with the customer: we simply tell the truth to the customer, own up, fix the problem, and eventually things will improve and reputation will be saved.

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Halal certification for food can, at times, be something of a rort. There is well-known principle in fiqh (jurisprudence) that states that the ‘asl (basis) of all things outside of matters of worship is that they are permissible. In other words, the starting assumption when faced with these issues is that they are allowed. This has, to some extent and at various times, been inverted by some of the commercial organisations offering halal certification.

Of course, this is hardly surprising given there is a strong incentive for such companies to, firstly, convince manufacturers that unless they are explicitly certified as halal, there products will be forbidden to Muslims; and, secondly, the legitimacy of their certification depends, to some extent, on Muslims themselves believing that such products are forbidden to them. A more efficient alternative might be to teach Muslims enough of the rules of fiqh in order to be able to assess most products for themselves.

In any case, as Muslim communities develop there is one area where Muslims could also do with halal certification: finance. Like food products, there are many financial products on offer in the market — different types of insurance, leasing structures, managed funds, etc. — but very little information on what is and what is not permissible. I have noticed that there are a number of broad assumptions about the impermissibility of particular types of transaction and product without any detailed understanding or analysis. However, it is quite possible that there are many products and transactions we consider, by default, to be haram but are actually permissible or permissible with some conditions.

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Shaheen at ‘Aqoul asks an interesting question.  The entire discussion in the comments is also worth a read.

I was informed today that Professor Muhammad Mohar Ali, the father of Abu Muntasir (of JIMAS), passed away on Wednesday morning. Inna lillahi wa inna ilaihi raaji’oon.

Here is a brief biography of the sheikh:

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Luke McIllveen (who, his profile reminds us, “enjoys country music, rugby league, cooking and exposing the hidden agendas of radical Islam. Dislikes: AFL, transit police, blokes with ponytails”) writes in the Daily Telegraph:

PEDDLERS of books and DVDs promoting jihadist causes and calling for the destruction of Western civilisation have been put on notice – the Federal Government will not tolerate them any longer.

Of course, it might seem almost reasonable to some people. After all, it’s only “jihadist calls for the destruction of Western civlisation” that are being banned. However, let’s try a quick thought experiment. Replace “jihadist causes” with “democratic causes” and “Western civilisation” with “Communism”. Read the sentence again and it doesn’t seem quite so appealing, does it?

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Recently radio talk show host Don Imus made a racist remark about black American women. The remark was not an incitement to violence, nor was it done during a time of fitna (public disorder), yet for his sin he has been sacked from his program after both American Express and General Motors pulled their sponsorship of it. The right wing pundit is now pleading the victim in the whole affair.

Here in Australia, the media regulator has recently delivered a finding of “inciting violence and brutality” against radio chat show host Alan Jones. This is somewhat surprising given Jones long history of supporting Lebanese Muslims, and his principled history as a broadcaster.

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In a piece on the ongoing Sheikh Taj debacle in tomorrow’s Australian (not online yet), Greg Sheridan makes the following points about the government’s engagement with the Muslim community over the last few years.

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A sobering warning from the Gold Coast Bulletin:

Three radical leaders codenamed ‘The Gypsy’, ‘The Painter’ and ‘The Village Idiot’, described as disciples of Alhilali, are reported to be continuing a campaign to radicalise the mosque and pressure other community members.

We warn Austrolabe readers: if approached in the mosque by a man identifying himself as ‘The Village Idiot’, beware as he may be radical.

The Australian National Imams Council (ANIC) have released a statement on what was decided at the meeting last month. The summary of what was agreed is as follows:

1. Fifteen Imams representing all the states are the elected executive members of ANIC, six of which are office bearers;
2. The greater aim of the ANIC is to examine issue which meet the needs of Muslims in Australia, solve problems that affect them as a minority community and regulate their interaction with the Australian communities in a way that is consistent with the Australian laws;
3. An overwhelming majority of the present Imams decided that an Australian Council of Jurisprudence (Fiqh) and Research will be established within the next three (3) months. This is to be done after consultation with the boards of Imams of various states;
4. Once formed, this council – as a collective body - will take the responsibility of examining issues that affect the Australian Muslim community within the social, economic and political context of Australia. This is to allow the Australian Muslim community to work in harmony with Australian laws;
5. The members of the Australian Council of Jurisprudence (Fiqh) and Research should be qualified experts in Islamic law and well conversant with the Australian context. They will also carry the responsibility of electing a council chairperson (Mufti);
6. Sheikh Taj Al-Din Al-Hilali will be given a grace period of three (3) months after which the Australian Council of Jurisprudence (Fiqh) and Research will carry such a responsibility.

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As regular readers may be aware, the Canadian Muslim scholar Dr Bilal Philips was recently refused a visa to attend an Islamic conference in Melbourne, Australia. The Australian government cited security concerns as their reason and a number of serious allegations against Dr Philips were made in the media. For example, the Herald Sun reported:

Sheik Philips, 50, a Canadian citizen who lives in Qatar, once wrote: “Western culture, led by the United States, is the enemy of Islam.”

The US Government named him as an “unindicted co-conspirator” in the 1993 bombing that killed six people and injured 1000. He was deported from the US in 2004.

Unfortunately, lost in the coverage of the conference and Dr Philips’ visa application was Dr Philips’ side of the story. As such, we are pleased to present this interview with the sheikh in which he responds to some of the media and government allegations against him.
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