Airports in Japan becoming Muslim friendly

International airports in Japan are striving to become friendlier to Muslims amid a steep increase in visitors from the Islamic world following the Japanese government’s relaxation of regulations for issuing visas. 

An increase in private prayer rooms for Muslims, who pray five times a day, and availability of meals in compliance with Islamic rules are among efforts taken by airports.

Airport officials stress that they will show the heart of Japanese hospitality at the thresholds into Japan as Tokyo will host the 2020 Summer Olympic Games.

On Dec. 1, Narita Airport in Chiba Prefecture put up a new sign saying “Prayer Room” for Muslims in front of private rooms in its first and second terminals. Each room is covered with a carpet and a direction panel on the ceiling so that Muslims can readily fall to their knees and pray in the direction of their holy place Mecca.

The rooms, called Silence Rooms, could be used for prayer in the past but had no Prayer Room sign.

In the past, there were Muslims who performed prayers on the terminal building floor after arriving at Narita as they did not know of the existence of the private rooms, according to a 35-year-old member of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community Japan, an association of Muslims in Japan.

Japan relaxed the rules for issuance to visas to visitors from Indonesia, Malaysia and three other Southeast Asian nations in July. Muslims account for an estimated 90% of Indonesia’s 240 million population and 60% of Malaysia’s 29 million.

A total of 28,000 people visited Japan from Indonesia and Malaysia in October, up 40% from a year earlier.

A public relations official at Narita Airport said the operator of the airport near Tokyo should have done more to publicize the presence of prayer rooms for Muslims and make facilities there friendlier to them.

“We will seek to create a user-friendly airport for Muslims and other people who will visit Japan for the Olympic Games,” the official added.

The company has already started taking necessary steps. For example, it will install by January washing equipment in the prayer rooms for Muslims to purify themselves before performing prayers. By next summer, furthermore, two prayer rooms will be built in the area where passengers walk through after embarkation procedures.

Kansai Airport, which created a prayer room in 2006, announced a plan in August to open two more rooms by next spring.

The airport in Osaka has also started joint efforts with tenants in its passenger terminal building to better receive visitors from the Islamic world. Starting this summer, a noodle shop and another restaurant began serving meals prepared in compliance with Islamic cooking rules, called Halal, which include a ban on the use of pork.

Haneda Airport in Tokyo will open a prayer room by next March.

Major airports in Europe, a popular destination of tourists from the Islamic world, have already completed prayer rooms for Muslims, according to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism.

Airports in Japan have begun earnest efforts at last to become friendly to Muslims, said Ken Fujita, head of a project at the ASEAN Promotion Center on Trade, Investment and Tourism in Tokyo to provide information on Islam to airports.

More Muslims should visit Japan if the efforts are recognized widely in the Islamic world, he added.

Forum highlights key Islamic banking issues

Oliver Agha, Partner, Head of Islamic Finance & Mena Practices, Holland & Knight - Abu Dhabi, addressed the seminar at Bank Muscat head office, attended by Islamic banking representatives in the Sultanate. Agha shared his insights on 'Islamic finance risks and how to avoid them' as well as 'Core legal risks, documentation issues and standardisation' in Islamic banking.

Sulaiman Al Harthy, Group General Manager - Islamic Banking, said: "Meethaq is proud to facilitate yet another opportunity to raise awareness on important Islamic banking aspects. As the pioneer of Islamic banking in Oman, Meethaq is committed to offering unique learning opportunities. The event reaffirms the bank's focus on Islamic banking development in Oman."

Sahar Askalan said: "We are proud to join hands with Meethaq and organise this seminar which has shed light on important aspects of Islamic banking. We thank Bank Muscat for this initiative in promoting Islamic banking in Oman."

Meethaq has been instrumental in hosting a series of high profile conferences and awareness programmes on Islamic banking. The notable events include the Oman Islamic Economic Forum; workshop on 'Islamic Liquidity Management and Capital Market' in association with International Islamic Financial Market (IIFM); 'Women in Business' forum and a seminar on 'In-Country Value Addition' addressed by Dr Mahathir Mohamad, former Prime Minister of Malaysia. Meethaq also hosted seminars across Oman, addressed by Shariah and Islamic banking experts, to familiarise people with the core aspects of Islamic finance. 

Meethaq is well positioned to provide Islamic financial expertise to diverse segments and thereby promote the good of society as a whole.

Branch network
The state-of-the-art Meethaq branch network in Oman reflects Bank Muscat 's focus to redefine Islamic banking operations in Oman. The Meethaq branches are designed to create a unique ambience and banking environment in line with the Meethaq brand values of true Partnership, Transparency and Trust. 

Meethaq plans to open branches in all major cities and towns across Oman. Meethaq strives to fulfill the needs of customers with innovative Shari'a based products and the branch network reflects its commitment to meet customer expectations for Islamic banking.

Bank Muscat is the first commercial bank in Oman to obtain CBO approval and launch Islamic banking window operations. The bank has invested in staff, systems and controls to ensure the service is delivered in a professional, segregated and fully Sharia compliant manner.
Meethaq offers a full suite of Islamic banking products. The Sharia compliant products and services include savings account, current account, home finance, auto finance, credit card, mobile banking etc.

Best practices
Meethaq has adopted the best practices in Islamic banking and finance worldwide to combine a robust model which protects customers and complements the Islamic banking industry. Every Meethaq product goes through the process of Sharia compliance certification by the Sharia Supervisory Board and is created in line with the guidelines of the Central Bank of Oman. 
As the pioneer of Islamic banking in Oman, Meethaq stands out for its independent Sharia Supervisory Board, separate capital allocation from shareholders' money, unique risk management tools, complete fund segregation, separate books of account and core banking system which supports Islamic banking operations.

Museum of Islamic Art

The Museum of Islamic Arts first opened in 1881 with an initial display of 111 objects gathered from mosques and mausoleums across Egypt. Its first home was in the arcades of the mosque of the Fatimid caliph Al-Hakim Bi-Amr Allah. Because of the rapid increase in the size of the collection, however, a new building was constructed in the courtyard of the mosque in 1883. Construction began in 1899 on a building in Bab El-Khalq, a stone's throw from the centre of Islamic Cairo, that would give the museum its own space. This building opened its doors in 1903 with a collection of 3,154 objects. Since then the museum has become the primary home for the national collection of Islamic art.

When the collection swelled to include 100,000 objects by 2003, the Ministry of Culture launched a comprehensive restoration project for the museum in an attempt to reinstate its original function and grandeur. The renovation masterplan and the design for the new exhibition were drawn up by French designer and museographer Adrien Gardère in cooperation with the Islamic Department of the Louvre Museum in Paris, which has in the past advised on the reorganisation of the museum's collections.

The restoration placed the museum's main entrance at its original site on Port Said Street. An introductory gallery was installed just inside the entrance which offers visitors a brief overview of Islamic art and the Muslim nations of the world, as well as a guide to the museum's various collections and objects on display. Also presented are geographis of historic Cairo and the early Islamic city of Fustat, the oldest Islamic settlement in Egypt.

The museum is divided into two large wings. The first is devoted to the chronological exhibition of Islamic artefacts taken mainly from monuments in nearby historic Cairo, thereby showing the progression of Islamic dynasties -- the Umayyad, Abbasid, Tulunid, Fatimid, Ayubid, Mamluk and Ottoman periods.

The second wing displays materials from other countries in the Islamic world. These include calligraphy; manuscripts; ceramics; mosaics; textiles; gravestones; mashrabiya (latticed woodwork); wooden objects; metal and glass vessels; incense burners and caskets; pottery; metalwork and glass lamps dating from various periods in Islamic history. These objects are displayed according to both chronology and theme, provenance and material.

The renovated museum has state-of-the-art security and lighting systems, a fully-equipped restoration laboratory, a children's museum and a library.

One of the most impressive items on display is a Mamluk-era water fountain that has been renovated by Spanish restorer Eduardo Porta, who was also a member of the restoration team working on the tomb of Nefertari in Luxor's Valley of the Queens. The fountain, made of semi-precious stones, green onyx and coloured mosaic pieces, was originally bought for the Museum of Islamic Art in 1910 and placed in the museum's garden. Owing to ill-use and the faulty restoration work carried out in the 1960s and 1970s, the fountain fell into disrepair and it is only now being properly restored.

Porta described the fountain as one of the most unique in the world, and said it was one of the most important objects in the museum.

Top honour for Al Baraka Islamic Bank

MANAMA: Al Baraka Islamic Bank has been named the best Islamic bank in Bahrain for last year by The Islamic Finance News.

Based in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, The Islamic Finance News is an international institution specialised in providing news for the Islamic financial sector.

The bank has won the award for the second time in a row.

The award follows an annual comprehensive referendum conducted by the Foundation of Islamic Finance News.

Islamic financial companies, investors and companies from outside the banking sector and government institutions from around the world participated in the referendum.

The awards are considered the most transparent and competitive international awards and are subject to strict standards.

Companies and banks are not allowed to vote for themselves and are subject to the judgement of others.

Last year, the organisers received 264 nominations, over 100 more than 2012.

"We are honoured to get the award, supported by the nominations of institutions working in the Islamic finance industry around the world," Al Baraka Islamic Bank board member and chief executive Mohammed Isa Al Mutaweh said.

"Our winning of this award coincides with the 30th anniversary of the founding of the bank.

"During the past years, the bank has achieved many excellent initiatives both in terms of expanding its market share in local banking industry or at the level of arrangement of several financing deals locally and regionally, as well as improving the quality and quantity of its Islamic services and products for all segments of society," he added.

Al Baraka Islamic Bank will receive the key award at a ceremony to be held in Dubai on February 24.

Brunei's takaful growth pushes ahead its Islamic finance ambitions

KUALA LUMPUR: Assets held by the Islamic insurance (takaful) sector in Bruneirecently have grown significantly while those of conventional types of insurance have been declining, a report from the country's central bank showed.

The monthly report from Brunei's monetary authority, known as AMBD, said that in the year ended Sept. 30, takaful assets rose 21 percent to 425 million Brunei dollars ($336 million). Conventional insurers saw a drop of 1.3 percent in assets during the same 12-month period.

The fast-growing takaful sector indicates Brunei is progressing toward its goal of having Islamic financial products account for up to 60 percent of total banking assets in five years, compared with 40 percent at present.

At end-September, Brunei's takaful market accounted for 33 percent of total insurance assets, up from 29 percent a year earlier, according to the AMBD report.

Brunei, which has Southeast Asia's highest per-capita income after Singapore, aims to compete in Islamic finance with regional powerhouses Malaysia and Indonesia. That is part of a strategy to wean itself off dependence on oil reserves, which are expected to run out in about two decades, and diversifyBrunei's economy.

Brunei, Malaysia and Indonesia have the largest potential for retail Islamic banking in Southeast Asia. The combined population of the three Muslim-majority countries is nearly 280 million.

Although insurance assets have seen rapid growth in Brunei in the past decade, industry players say there is still poor awareness about insurance among its population. Brunei has four takaful operators.

Assets of Indonesian takaful firms grew 43 percent to 13.1 trillion rupiah ($1.1 billion) during 2012, from 9.15 trillion rupiah a year earlier, data from that country's regulator showed. Takaful firms accounted for 2.3 percent of Indonesia's total industry assets.

A proposed law in Indonesia that requires takaful firms to be spun off into standalone entities could, when enacted, spur mergers in that market.

In July, Malaysia declared new rules for takaful firms to separate life and general business lines, a move observers said could spur buy-outs of smaller operations.

($1 = 1.2660 Brunei dollars)- Reuters

http://www.thestar.com.my/Business/Business-News/2014/01/16/Bruneis-Takaful-Growth-Pushes-Ahead-Its-Islamic-Finance-Ambitions/

Meezan receives 'Best Islamic Bank in Pakistan' award

Meezan Bank has won the award of 'Best Islamic Bank in Pakistan' for 2013 from Islamic Finance News of RED money Group, Malaysia. The Bank has received this award for the 8th time. The Islamic Finance News (IFN) Awards honour the best in the Islamic financial industry across the world and are among the most prestigious and recognized awards in the global Islamic financial markets. 

In addition to the Best Islamic Bank in Pakistan, Meezan Bank has also won the following awards: Pakistan Deal of the Year award for providing advisory services to the government of Pakistan to enable it to raise funds in a purely Shariah-Compliant manner. The Bank was appointed as Joint Financial Advisor for Government of Pakistan - Rs 43,018 million - Ijarah Sukuk. 

Ijarah Deal of the Year award for Siemens Pakistan Engineering Company's Rs 200 million off-balance-sheet Lease facility. This was a unique structured transaction since it enabled this bluechip company in Pakistan to meet its objectives of improving its cash flows without leveraging its balance sheet. 

Meezan Bank has been consistently recognized as the Best Islamic bank in Pakistan by numerous local and international institutions including CFA Society - Pakistan, Asiamoney magazine - Hong Kong, Islamic Finance News - Malaysia, Global Finance magazine, New York and Asset AAA - Hong Kong. The Bank has also received "Best Research and Development in Islamic Finance 2013" award by Global Islamic Finance Awards (GIFA), London. Meezan Bank, the 8th largest bank in Pakistan (in terms of branch network) provides a comprehensive range of Islamic banking products and services through a retail banking network of 351 branches in 103 cities, supported by a countrywide network of over 250 ATMs, Visa debit cards, a 24/7 Call Center and internet banking facility.-PR 

http://www.brecorder.com/money-a-banking/198/1144135/

Jordan launches ‘religious tourism’ campaign

Alarabiya - Jordan has launched a campaign to attract sightseers from Muslim countries to boost the domestic tourism sector, reported al-Hayat newspaper.

“The board launched a campaign to promote Islamic tourism in Jordan and attract tourists from Muslim countries, especially from Malaysia and Indonesia, given that Jordan is a base and a gateway for holy Muslim and Christian shrines,” said Abdul Razaq Arabiyat, the managing director of the Jordan Tourism Board, in a released statement.

The campaign aims to boost the profile of religious sites in Jordan as an attraction for foreign tourists and seeks to promote religious tourism as “a main source of tourism revenues in the kingdom,” added Arabiyat.

A number of promotional programs have been adopted by the board to attract those Muslim tourists intending to travel to Saudi Arabia to perform the annual hajj pilgrimage, who then continue on with their religious tour by traveling to Jordan and Palestine.

“We’ve signed a number of agreements with tourism companies in Indonesia and Malaysia on visiting religious shrines in Jordan and Palestine… such as [the site of the] battles of Islamic conquests,” said Arabiyat.

Qatar’s Masraf Al Rayan Buys Islamic Bank Of Britain

Masraf Al Rayan, Qatar’s largest sharia-compliant bank by market value, said on Thursday it had completed its acquisition of Islamic Bank of Britain (IBB).

Al Rayan did not disclose the terms of the purchase.

IBB was majority-owned by another Qatari lender, Qatar Internatioal Islamic Bank, which had been in discussions with Al Rayan over a sale since mid-2012.

Al Rayan said in a bourse filing it had received approval from investors holding 95 per cent of IBB’s share capital for the sale. The British regulator has approved the deal, the statement added.

Islamic teachings key to success, says Hamza

PAKISTAN Muslim League-N central leader Hamza Shahbaz Sharif MNA has said that the success in this world and the hereafter can be achieved by following the teachings of the Holy Prophet Hazrat Mohammad (Peace Be Upon Him).

He said the teachings of the Holy Prophet advised us to show tolerance, patience and mutual respect. He said national unity was an effective weapon for eliminating extremism and terrorism. He said the politicians should be above corruption, nepotism and dishonesty and they should be role model for the people.

He expressed these views while addressing a Seerat Conference held in connection with Eid Milad-un-Nabi at Alhamra Hall Monday. The topic of the conference was “government offices and use of resources in the light of teachings of Holy Prophet (PBUH)”. He stressed the need for following the Prophet’s teachings and added the entire life of Holy Prophet (PBUH) was a role model of service, tolerance and kindness. He said, ‘it is unfortunate that we refer to teachings of the Holy Prophet (PBUH) but fail to act upon His teachings.’ He said this attitude was the main cause of our problems and failures.

He welcomed the proposal of including religious teachings in the training courses of the government employees and assured that the efforts would be made to implement it. He said sharing people’s grief was the noblest deed and the PML-N government considered honesty and right of the people on resources as the base of good governance.

 

Malaysia boots Islamic tourism effort

Anticipating a share of Islamic tourism, a new deal has been reached between the International Islamic University of Malaysia (IIUM) and the Islamic Tourism Centre to lure more Muslim tourists to the Asian country in 2014.

“We hope to increase the Islamic tourist arrivals to 30%,” Tourism and Culture ministry secretary-general Dr Ong Hong Peng said while reading the statement by Minister Mohamed Nazri Aziz, The star reported on Sunday, January 5.

“This, in return, will provide significant economic returns to Malaysia as well as creating employment opportunities to graduates,” he added.

The new deal was signed in a bid to make the country the premier hub for Muslim tourists in 2014.

According to the memorandum of understanding (MoU), it is expected to generate cooperation in various fields including, internship, attachments and the mobility of staff.

It also seeks cooperation in other fields such as tourism, culture, skills upgrading and joint research and publication, peng added.

With more than five million Muslims tourist in 2013 out of 25.03 million tourists, Muslims are key players for the Malaysian tourism counting for about 22%.

The new deal comes as Malaysia launches its new campaign, Visit Malaysia Year 2014 (VMY).

“In order to achieve our targets of attracting 28 million tourists and generating RM76bil tourist receipts in 2014, let us begin by welcoming the world with our open hearts and minds,” Nazri, the Tourism and Culture Minister, said at Dataran Merdeka square.

He added that this year’s theme, “Celebrating 1Malaysia, Truly Asia”, was a reflection of the nation’s rich cultural and heritage diversity, as well as its peace, stability and warm Malaysian hospitality.

A recent study released by Singapore-based halal travel specialist Crescentrating and DinarStandard has expected influx of Muslim holidaymakers over the next decade.

The study, conducted in 47 countries, found that spending by Muslim tourists is growing faster than the global rate and is forecast to reach $192 billion a year by 2020, up from $126 billion in 2011.

Japan''s airlines taking steps to enhance halal meal services

Japan's biggest carrier All Nippon Airways (ANA) will forge a business alliance with the world's largest provider of in-flight halal meals in an effort to better cater to passengers that follow the dietary laws of Islam, a top-selling business daily here reported Friday.

Under the deal, Brahim's Holdings of Malaysia will share its knowledge of halal cooking with the Japanese airline, providing recipes and helping it gain the skills of kitchen management required for halal certification, which is a prerequisite if ANA is to provide halal meals of its own, according to the Nikkei Shimbun.

ANA currently contracts out to certified in-flight caterers for the halal meals it serves on its flights, but the company would like to be able to make the meals itself so it can broaden its halal menu and capture more business from people visiting Japan from places like Asia and the Middle East, it said. The carrier hopes to offer its own halal meals starting from the second half of fiscal 2014.

Meanwhile, international airports in Japan are striving to become friendlier to Muslims amid a steep rise in visitors from the Islamic world, such as an increase in private prayer rooms for Muslims and availability of halal meals, the newspaper has reported earlier.

Last month, Narita International Airport near Tokyo put up a new sign saying "Prayer Room" for Muslims in front of private rooms in its first and second terminals. Each room is covered with a carpet and a direction panel on the ceiling so that Muslims can readily fall to their knees and pray in the direction of their holy place Mecca. The rooms, called Silence Rooms, could be used for prayer in the past but had no Prayer Room sign. In the past, many Muslims did not know of the existence of the private rooms in Narita airport, according to the daily.

Japan relaxed the rules for issuance to visas to visitors from Indonesia, Malaysia and three other Southeast Asian nations in July. Muslims account for an estimated 90 percent of Indonesia's 240 million population and 60 percent of Malaysia's 29 million. By summer, furthermore, two prayer rooms will be built in the area where passengers walk through after embarkation procedures. Haneda International Airport in downtown Tokyo will also open a prayer room by March.

Kansai International Airport in western Japan, which created a prayer room in 2006, will open two more rooms by spring. The airport has also started joint efforts with tenants in its passenger terminal building to better receive visitors from the Islamic world. Starting last summer, a noodle shop and another restaurant began serving halal meals

Malaysia to be hub for Islamic tourism

KUALA LUMPUR: The International Islamic University of Malaysia (IIUM) and the Islamic Tourism Centre have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Government in a bid to make the country the premier hub for Muslim tourists.

Tourism and Culture Minister Datuk Seri Mohamed Nazri Aziz said the MoU would make Malaysia an ideal destination for Islamic tourism among Islamic countries.

“This, in return, will provide significant economic returns to Malaysia as well as creating employment opportunities to graduates,” said Nazri, whose speech was read out by ministry secretary-general Datuk Dr Ong Hong Peng here yesterday.

The MoU would see collaboration in areas such as internship, attachments and the mobility of staff and students, tourism, culture, skills upgrading and joint research and publication, he said.

Currently, out of the 25.03 million tourist arrivals last year, about 22% – more than five million – were from Muslim majority countries. Dr Ong said: “We hope to increase the Islamic tourist arrivals to 30%.”

For Visit Malaysia Year (VMY), which was officially launched yesterday, Nazri urged all groups to double up efforts to ensure that the delivery of services was of the highest standard at all times.

VMY 2014, said Nazri, was vital in achieving the Tourism Transformation Plan target of attracting 36 million tourist arrivals and RM168bil in receipts by 2020.

MALAYSIA AND TURKEY, THE TWO GREAT MUSLIM NATIONS MOVING FORWARD TOGETHER

Published: Friday January 10, 2014 MYT 1:12:00 PM
Updated: Friday January 10, 2014 MYT 1:30:09 PM

PM: Malaysia, Turkey to sign FTA in April

BY ZUHRIN AZAM AHMAD

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak (right) shakes hands with Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Putrajaya on Friday.

   

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PUTRAJAYA: Malaysia and Turkey will sign a free-trade agreement (FTA) in April, Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak said.

The Prime Minister said this was agreed by his Turkey counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan during a bilateral meeting Friday.

The meeting was held at the Prime Minister's Office here.

Najib said the signing would be held in Istanbul during his visit to Turkey.

He also said both countries were looking into abolishing the visa requirement between the two nations.

"The draft of the agreement is being worked out by the relevant ministries and agencies," he said in a joint press conference after the bilateral meeting.

Germany Introduces Islamic Education

CAIRO – Schools in the central German state of Hesse have started to offer Islamic education for primary school Muslim students, placing Islam on equal footing with the official Protestant and Catholic learning.

“They come here with such different backgrounds,” Timur Kumlu, a state-trained teacher at the Islamic instruction program, told New York Times on Tuesday, January 7.

“We must educate so that they develop a personality with common roots,” in Germany and in Islam.

The classes, offered for the first time in German public schools, started in Hesse to better integrate Muslims in the German society.

Following decades of neglect, the classes were part of a growing consensus that Germany was willing to serve its Muslim minority.

It was also proposed as a government bid to better integrate the nation’s large Muslim minority and counter the growing influence of what they termed as “radical religious thinking”.

Delivering the Islamic classes, state-trained teachers use specially written textbooks to educate students on their peaceful faith.

Welcoming the optional Islamic classes, dozens of vigorous Muslim students have signed-up for at least 29 classes across the immigrant predominated districts.

“I think it’s clear now that for years we made the mistake of alienating people,” said Nicola Beer, who as education minister in Hesse was one of several politicians, professors and teachers who pushed for the Islamic instruction.

Germans recognize that “we are here together, we work together, and we educate our children together.”

Germany has between 3.8 and 4.3 million Muslims, making up some 5 percent of the total 82 million population, according to government-commissioned studies.

Germans have grown hostile to the Muslim presence recently, with a heated debate on the Muslim immigration into the country.

A recent poll by the Munster University found that Germans view Muslims more negatively than their European neighbors.

Germany’s daily Der Spiegel had warned last August that the country is becoming intolerant towards its Muslim minority.

According to a 2010 nationwide poll by the research institute Infratest-dimap, more than one third of the respondents would prefer "a Germany without Islam."

Religious Classes

With each of the 16 states determining its own education system, Muslims started offering religious education through Islamic organizations in different German states, including Berlin.

After struggling for 20 years to get the permission for Islamic teaching, Muslims were granted the right to hold a 40-minute instruction class per week, which didn't meet the minority’s demands at that time.

"It is difficult to be a Muslim in Germany,” said Fazil Altin, 34, a lawyer who is president of the Islamic Federation, who said he had been denied access to clients in jails because of his faith.

“The fact is, we are seen as a danger,” Altin says that more inclusive activities and polices are needed to void the gap between Muslims and the secular society of Germany.

Muslims in the immigrant-heavy district of Kreuzberg have been facing multi challenges of integration, including German parents’ condemnations due to the growing numbers of immigrants in their children's schools.

"Teachers here have a feeling that something doesn’t fit with Islam and democracy,” said Sabine Achour, a German lecturer and educator in Berlin who is married to a Moroccan lawyer.

German Muslims have also voiced concerns about the possibilities of applying Hesse's initiative in the rest of Germany's 16 states.

The state-trained teachers in Hesse were required to accomplish 240 hours of extra schooling at Giessen University to join the Islamic instruction program.

Motivated by his ignorance about Islam, Kumlu, 31, the first-grade teacher, was eager to join the state-approved Islamic classes.

“I wanted to clear this up,” said Kumlu, whose pupils now are third- to fifth-generation German.

“And they should be on an equal basis with other religions.”

Jordan is promoting Islamic Tourism

Jordan has launched a campaign to attract tourists from Muslim countries to boost the domestic tourism sector, reported the al-Hayat newspaper.

“The board launched a campaign to promote Islamic tourism in Jordan and attract tourists from Muslim countries, especially from Malaysia and Indonesia, given that Jordan is a base and a gateway for holy Muslim and Christian shrines,” said Abdul Razaq Arabiyat, the managing director of the Jordan Tourism Board, in a released statement.

The campaign aims to boost the profile of religious sites in Jordan as an attraction for foreign tourists and seeks to promote religious tourism as “a main source of tourism revenues in the kingdom,” added Arabiyat.

A number of promotional programs have been adopted by the board to attract those Muslim tourists intending to travel to Saudi Arabia to perform the annual hajj pilgrimage, who then continue on with their religious tour by traveling to Jordan and Palestine.

“We’ve signed a number of agreements with tourism companies in Indonesia and Malaysia on visiting religious shrines in Jordan and Palestine… such as the site of the battles of Islamic conquests,” said Arabiyat.