15: Obama Accounting: Muslims, Sharia Law, and Sharia Taxes

The Crescent, now a symbol of Islam, originally signified the waning Moon, and was associated with the goddess Diana.

As described in blog 14, Muslims belong to the religious, cultural, and political force of Islam. Sharia is the Law of Islam.

Islam is unlike most religious groups which request donations, or more strenuously, "tithes". Islam through Sharia law imposes taxes on Non-Muslims as well as Muslims. Sharia law can become "official" or quasi-official in "host" countries in which Islam has made "inroads", through the activism of Muslim activists.

Muslims apply the concept of the "head tax", apportioned and fixed for each individual. It is a "poll tax", used from ancient times until the 19th Century, as a type of Census. The "poll tax" was used to count the number of citizens who arrive at the polls to vote.

American Blacks have protested poll taxes as voter registration fees. In Virginia voters were charged $1.50 to cover clerk fees for those who did not register and provide resident information 6 months prior to voting, until banned in a federal voting rights lawsuit.

In Sharia Law when a "corvee" is commuted for cash payment, it becomes a poll tax. These can sometimes be paid off by labor, depending on the local interpretation of Sharia.

All Muslims who live above the subsistence level must pay an annual poor tax, a "zakat". This obligation owed by Muslims to the poor community is calculated on wealth, not income. There is a 2.5% base rate of taxation. This varies depending on the type of wealth being assessed, savings, jewelry, or land.

"Jizya" is the head tax on Non-Muslims, classically on able-bodied men of military age, required to be paid to Islamic authorities. In exchange, Non-Muslims receive "dhimma": are permitted to practice their faiths, be exempted from military service, and other local issues. This of course depends on the interpretation by the local "qadis", the Islamic judge.

"Jizya" often is interpreted by Non-Muslims as a form of discrimination or of "protection money" (like in Chicago, IL, 1930s). "Jizya" was abolished by the Ottoman Empire in 1855 as part of reforms to equalize the status of Muslims and Non-Muslims. "Jizya" was replaced by a military-exemption tax on Non-Muslims, the "Bedel-i Askeri".

Be mindful that in Arabic "Sharia" means "path to the water", the meaning of which is obvious to thirsty camel and rider in the Arabian deserts. An interesting question is whether "zakat" and "jizya" frequently were collected on the "sharia" path.

Graphic: Crescent & Star in The Illustrated Book of Sign & Symbol, M. Bruce-Mitford.

Other References: Encyclopedia Britannica, The World Book Encyclopedia, 2003, wikipedia.

Email mkrause381@gmail.com or mkrause54@yahoo.com to make a comment or request a copy of this or other blogs posted by mary for monthlynotesstaff on http://monthlynotesfive.blogspot.com or http://monthlynotes.blogspot.com.

14: Obama Accounting: Muslims and Sharia Law

Muslims account for about 1/5th of the world population. Islam is the religious, cultural, and political organizing force for Muslims. Muslim history extends back to about 817AD to the Iranian Muslim ibn Al-Hajjaj. This early scholar compiled the Haddith, stories and deeds of the Prophet Mohammad from over 300,000 Islamic traditions from Arabia, Egypt, Syria, and Iraq.

The early story of Muslim is long, complicated by various Islamic sects, which stuggled to dominate the culture and politics, as well as the religious sector, of the Arab states, South Asia, and Africa.

In modern history, by 1906, Muslims created the "All-India Muslim League, a political group which advocated a separate Muslim state in India. This was encouraged by Great Britain, then the colonial overseer of India, until the 1913 Muslim movement to form an independent self-government in India. A moderate Muslim Muhammed Ali Jinnah called for a Hindu-Muslim alliance in India until 1940, when the Muslims began to fear independent India would be dominated by Hindus.

In 1947, the British granted independence to India, a partition was drawn, and adjacent Pakistan became a Muslim South Asian country.

Sharia was mentioned in the previous blog (13) discussing Muslim workers seeking special consideration (accommodation) in the workplace for prayer and other breaks during the daytime fast month of Ramada, the Muslim religious holiday.

Sharia is the law of Islam. Sharia laws apply to many aspects of secular law, including crime, politics, and economics, and personal life, including sexuality, hygiene, diet, prayer, and fasting. When "official" in a Muslim or non-Muslim "host" country, Sharia law is applied by an Islamic judge, a "qadis".

"Imam" responsibilities vary with the interpretation in a particular country. An Imam may be a communal prayer leader, a scholar, religious leader or political leader.

Muslims attempt to impose Sharia law in non-Muslim countries. The imposition of a second set of laws provokes controversy, violence, and even open warfare as in the Second Civil War of Sudan.

The role of warring Muslim sects in Afghanistan and Iraq where the US has been involved, is complicated, with shifting alliances, and has not been clarified in the American newsmedia.

Muslims have made in-roads into "host" countries. In India, some Muslim minorities have been able to establish Sharia courts to adjudicate personal and community issues. Even Britain has allowed a "Muslim Arbitration Council". A recent newsreport noted self-identified moderate Muslims in Canada supported local schools, Canadian laws and government--as long as the local system remains hospitable to Islam and does not interfere with Islamic practices, that is, Sharia Law.

The American equivalent of this "country within a country" demand would be the Native American Tribal Reservations, who obviously have long been a part of truly indigenous American history.

Graphic: Star & Crescent: The crescent was adopted as the symbol of Islam in the
14th Century, the star was added later. In The Illustrated Book of Signs & Symbols, M. Bruce-Mitford.

Other references: Encyclopedia Britannica; The World Book Encyclopedia, 2003;
SD Strouthes Law and Politics, www.Wikipedia.com.

The next blog in this series will discuss Sharia Taxes on Non-Muslim and Muslim residents of non-Muslim "host" countries and Muslim countries.

Email mkrause381@gmail.com or mkrause54@yahoo.com to comment or request a copy of this blog or others posted by mary for monthlynotesstaff on http://monthlynotesfive.com. Until indexing is complete the blogs in "five" will be available on http://monthlynotesfour.blogspot.com and http://monthlynotes.blogspot.com on www.google.com.

14: Obama Accounting: Muslims and Sharia Law

Muslims account for about 1/5th of the world population. Islam is the religious, cultural, and political organizing force for Muslims. Muslim history extends back to about 817AD to the Iranian Muslim ibn Al-Hajjaj. This early scholar compiled the Haddith, stories and deeds of the Prophet Mohammad from over 300,000 Islamic traditions from Arabia, Egypt, Syria, and Iraq.

The early story of Muslim is long, complicated by various Islamic sects, which stuggled to dominate the culture and politics, as well as the religious sector, of the Arab states, South Asia, and Africa.

In modern history, by 1906, Muslims created the "All-India Muslim League, a political group which advocated a separate Muslim state in India. This was encouraged by Great Britain, then the colonial overseer of India, until the 1913 Muslim movement to form an independent self-government in India. A moderate Muslim Muhammed Ali Jinnah called for a Hindu-Muslim alliance in India until 1940, when the Muslims began to fear independent India would be dominated by Hindus.

In 1947, the British granted independence to India, a partition was drawn, and adjacent Pakistan became a Muslim South Asian country.

Sharia was mentioned in the previous blog (13) discussing Muslim workers seeking special consideration (accommodation) in the workplace for prayer and other breaks during the daytime fast month of Ramada, the Muslim religious holiday.

Sharia is the law of Islam. Sharia laws apply to many aspects of secular law, including crime, politics, and economics, and personal life, including sexuality, hygiene, diet, prayer, and fasting. When "official" in a Muslim or non-Muslim "host" country, Sharia law is applied by an Islamic judge, a "qadis".

"Imam" responsibilities vary with the interpretation in a particular country. An Imam may be a communal prayer leader, a scholar, religious leader or political leader.

Muslims attempt to impose Sharia law in non-Muslim countries. The imposition of a second set of laws provokes controversy, violence, and even open warfare as in the Second Civil War of Sudan.

The role of warring Muslim sects in Afghanistan and Iraq where the US has been involved, is complicated, with shifting alliances, and has not been clarified in the American newsmedia.

Muslims have made in-roads into "host" countries. In India, some Muslim minorities have been able to establish Sharia courts to adjudicate personal and community issues. Even Britain has allowed a "Muslim Arbitration Council". A recent newsreport noted self-identified moderate Muslims in Canada supported local schools, Canadian laws and government--as long as the local system remains hospitable to Islam and does not interfere with Islamic practices, that is, Sharia Law.

The American equivalent of this "country within a country" demand would be the Native American Tribal Reservations, who obviously have long been a part of truly indigenous American history.

Graphic: Star & Crescent: The crescent was adopted as the symbol of Islam in the
14th Century, the star was added later. In The Illustrated Book of Signs & Symbols, M. Bruce-Mitford.

Other references: Encyclopedia Britannica; The World Book Encyclopedia, 2003;
SD Strouthes Law and Politics, www.Wikipedia.com.

The next blog in this series will discuss Sharia Taxes on Non-Muslim and Muslim residents of non-Muslim "host" countries and Muslim countries.

Email mkrause381@gmail.com or mkrause54@yahoo.com to comment or request a copy of this blog or others posted by mary for monthlynotesstaff on http://monthlynotesfive.com. Until indexing is complete the blogs in "five" will be available on http://monthlynotesfour.blogspot.com and http://monthlynotes.blogspot.com on www.google.com.

13: Obama Accounting: Using US Department of Justice (DoJ) to Extend Lawsuit Settlements from Blacks & Ethnics to Muslims

Justice with Sword and Scales: the graphic depicts Roman Justice with a sword.

In the Egyptian Hall of Judgment, the heart of the deceased was weighed against the Feather of Truth before the god Osiris, who passed judgment.

The Obama/Holder Department of Justice is extending more American money and government paid legal services to an Obama-approved international ethnic group, Somali Muslims.

The EEOC (Equal Employment Opportunity Commission) filed a lawsuit on behalf of 86 Somali Muslim employees who walked off the job at the Grand Island, Nebraska JBS Swift Co. meatpacking plant. The Somali Muslims, who wanted time off to pray and break time during the day during the month-long Ramadan daytime fasts, walked off the job in protest.

Non-Muslim employees counterprotested. The meatpacking plant management ended the accommodation. Then the plant fired 86 workers for walking off the job. The company stated the firings weren't about religion.

Federal employees reportedly representing the DoJ preliminarily told the plant it should provide Muslim employees with prayer time and not retaliate against workers who ask to pray. The EEOC filed the lawsuits in Federal District Court in Denver,CO and Omaha, NE on Monday August 30, 2010.

American Christians are prohibited from prayer in the schools, government, and other facilities in accordance with the doctrine of the separation of church and state.

How could the DoJ and EEOC even consider a case involving workers demanding "time off", presumably paid "time-off", for prayer and breaks during a month-long Muslim cultural-religious holiday?

This may be an early case of Muslims using federal taxpayer money to try to insert Islamic cultural-religious issues, Sharia law, into American law and society.

Serious questions are raised by the filing of this case. Are the EEOC and DoJ employees Muslim activists or supporters? Are these employees so totally inexperienced that they have no comprehension of "separation of church and state" or government impartiality in such issues in the workplace? Are these independent contractor litigation teams?

Are these litigation teams aiming for a cash settlement or trying to takeover an American factory on a specious issue involving blacks or ethnics?

Are the Somali Muslims involved in this case in the US with a legal immigration status?

Graphic: Justice with sword and scales, from The Illustrated Book of Signs & Symbols by Miranda Bruce-Mitford.

References: AP, San Fran Chronicle, Aug. 30, 2010; New York Times, Sept. 1, 2010.

Email mkrause381@gmail.com or mkrause54@yahoo.com to comment or request a copy of this or other blogs posted by mary for monthlynotesstaff at http://monthlynotesfive.blogspot.com or on http://monthlynotes.blogspot.com on www.google.com until indexing is complete on monthlynotesfive.

13: Obama Accounting: Using US Department of Justice (DoJ) to Extend Lawsuit Settlements from Blacks & Ethnics to Muslims

Justice with Sword and Scales: the graphic depicts Roman Justice with a sword.

In the Egyptian Hall of Judgment, the heart of the deceased was weighed against the Feather of Truth before the god Osiris, who passed judgment.

The Obama/Holder Department of Justice is extending more American money and government paid legal services to an Obama-approved international ethnic group, Somali Muslims.

The EEOC (Equal Employment Opportunity Commission) filed a lawsuit on behalf of 86 Somali Muslim employees who walked off the job at the Grand Island, Nebraska JBS Swift Co. meatpacking plant. The Somali Muslims, who wanted time off to pray and break time during the day during the month-long Ramadan daytime fasts, walked off the job in protest.

Non-Muslim employees counterprotested. The meatpacking plant management ended the accommodation. Then the plant fired 86 workers for walking off the job. The company stated the firings weren't about religion.

Federal employees reportedly representing the DoJ preliminarily told the plant it should provide Muslim employees with prayer time and not retaliate against workers who ask to pray. The EEOC filed the lawsuits in Federal District Court in Denver,CO and Omaha, NE on Monday August 30, 2010.

American Christians are prohibited from prayer in the schools, government, and other facilities in accordance with the doctrine of the separation of church and state.

How could the DoJ and EEOC even consider a case involving workers demanding "time off", presumably paid "time-off", for prayer and breaks during a month-long Muslim cultural-religious holiday?

This may be an early case of Muslims using federal taxpayer money to try to insert Islamic cultural-religious issues, Sharia law, into American law and society.

Serious questions are raised by the filing of this case. Are the EEOC and DoJ employees Muslim activists or supporters? Are these employees so totally inexperienced that they have no comprehension of "separation of church and state" or government impartiality in such issues in the workplace? Are these independent contractor litigation teams?

Are these litigation teams aiming for a cash settlement or trying to takeover an American factory on a specious issue involving blacks or ethnics?

Are the Somali Muslims involved in this case in the US with a legal immigration status?

Graphic: Justice with sword and scales, from The Illustrated Book of Signs & Symbols by Miranda Bruce-Mitford.

References: AP, San Fran Chronicle, Aug. 30, 2010; New York Times, Sept. 1, 2010.

Email mkrause381@gmail.com or mkrause54@yahoo.com to comment or request a copy of this or other blogs posted by mary for monthlynotesstaff at http://monthlynotesfive.blogspot.com or on http://monthlynotes.blogspot.com on www.google.com until indexing is complete on monthlynotesfive.