Rabat - Saudi Arabia has announced, on Sunday, that the celebration of Eid Al-Adha will be observed on Thursday, September 24^th.

Saudi Arabia’s official moon-sighting body  said, in a statement released on Sunday, that the first day of Eid Al Adha will likely fall on September 24, as the Dhul Hijjah moon was not sighted on Sunday, September 13, 2015.

"Monday will be the last day of Dhul Qaadah and Tuesday, September 15, 2015, will mark the beginning of the lunar month of Dhul Hijjah," the Supreme Court of Saudi Arabia said.

Eid al-Adha, which marks the end of hajj, - a religious pilgrimage undertaken by millions of Muslims each year – is celebrated  every year by Mulslims worldwide, on Dhul Hijjah 10.

The Islamic calendar is based on moon’s movements,  a practice that can at times prove difficult. Most Muslim communities rely on eye-sighting of the crescent to mark the start of the months.

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Rabat - Al Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahri called on young Muslim men in the United States and other Western countries to carry out "lone wolf" type attacks against “the countries of the crusader coalition".

In an audio recording released on Sunday and reported by Reuters, the terrorist leader, who took over after Osama bin Laden four years ago, called on young Muslims in the US and the West to carry out attacks like those of the Boston bombings and Charlie Hebdo shootings.

He urged the jihadists to "focus on moving the war to the heart of the homes and cities of the crusader West and specifically America".

"I call on all Muslims who can harm the countries of the crusader coalition not to hesitate," al-Zawahri said in an audio recording.

Despite the fact that he denounced ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi in a previous recording, al-Zawahri called for the two jihadi groups to work together to fight against the Western-led coalition in Iraq and Syria and conduct attacks inside the Western countries.

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Rabat - Mohammed Fizazi, a reformed Moroccan Salafi-jihadist sheikh, said on Sunday that he will consider wearing the Hijab to be heresy if the Moroccan religious authorities adopt that position. 

The famous Moroccan ultra-conservative cleric posted on his FaceBook page a controversial statement asserting that “if the Higher Council of Ulema, the Commander of the Faithful or any Scientific Council in any Moroccan city issued a statement confirming that wearing the hijab is heresy and alien to Moroccan society, I would be the first to abide by it.”

Concerning the hijab, the sheikh said that it has nothing to do with chastity. “I do not consider those who don’t wear the hijab as not chaste,” the cleric said. “There are veiled women who are not chaste, just as there are non-veiled women who are chaste,” the sheikh said, adding that the matter “for me has nothing to do with the dress.”

However, the cleric stressed that wearing the hijab is an Islamic directive that women are required to comply with.

The statement of the Moroccan cleric caused controversy among social media users. Many comments were critical of the Cleric’s statement, accusing him of being a “hypocrite.”

While most Islamic scholars say that the hijab is obligatory, some do not. Pro-hijab scholars base their view on one of the Quran’s verses that reads, “O Prophet, tell your wives and your daughters and the women of the believers to bring down over themselves [part] of their outer garments.” 33:60 - Al-Ahzab (The Combined Forces).

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Taroudant - The French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo is reportedly facing legal action after publishing “racist and hateful” cartoons mocking the Syrian toddler, Aylan Kurdi, who drowned and washed up on a Turkish beach earlier this month.

The cartoons drawn and published by the satirical magazine, which depict the dead Aylan lying face down in the sand with the caption ‘So Close to the Goal’, enraged so many people.

British lawyer and political activist Peter Herbert, Chair of the Society of Black Lawyers and former Vice-Chair of the Metropolitan Police Authority, was among many who said Charlie Hebdo “is a purely racist, xenophobic and ideologically bankrupt publication.”

Charlie Hebdo is a purely racist, xenophobic and ideologically bankrupt publication that represents the moral decay of France.

— D Peter Herbert OBE (@herbert_donald) September 14, 2015

Herbert added in another tweet that the Society of Black Lawyers “will consider reporting this as incitement to hate crime & persecution before the International Criminal Court.”

The Society of Black Lawyers will consider reporting this as incitement to hate crime & persecution before the International Criminal Court — D Peter Herbert OBE (@herbert_donald) September 14, 2015

The cartoons have received waves of sharp criticism and indignation. Most social media users denounced the unamusing drawings, considering Charlie Hebdo a “bunch of deluded racists” who should not be called ‘journalists.’

They took to social media websites to protest the French publication using the hashtag #Je_ne_suis_pas_Charlie (I'm not Charlie)."

#??????_?????_??_???_???? #???_????? #JeNeSuisPasCharlie #je_suis_mohammad #je_ne_suis_pas_Charlie pic.twitter.com/hI1wk7LIft

— ???? ????? ?? ????? (@azfrtours) January 14, 2015

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Rabat - A Muslim student in north Texas at MacArthur High School was arrested after his teachers mistook a harmless homemade clock for a “hoax bomb”. The arrest has sparked renewed concerns about Islamophobia in Texas.

On Monday, The 14-year-old Ahmed Mohamed brought an electronic clock that he built at home over the weekend to school, in an attempt to impress his teachers.

However, school officials overreacted and called police after mistakenly thinking his latest invention looked like a bomb.

"An officer and the principal came and took me to a room filled with five [police] officers," Mohamed told local station Dallas News in a video interview from his electronics workshop at his home.

Mohamed went on to add that police handcuffed him and took him to Irving police headquarters for interrogation, fingerprints, and mug shots.

Mohamed, a self-assured kid with thick-framed glasses and a serious expression, had just started at MacArthur High School a few weeks ago.

He pointed out that his family surname repeatedly came up in police questioning. When he tried to call his father, Mohamed said he was told he couldn’t speak to his parents until after the interrogation was over.

He said police officers asked him if he intended to make a bomb, but he repeatedly insisted that he had only ever tried to make a clock.

“They were like, ‘So you tried to make a bomb?’”

Ahmed said, “I told them no, I was trying to make a clock.”

“He [one officer] said, ‘It looks like a movie bomb to me.’”

Police confiscated the case along with Ahmed's tablet computer. No charges were filed, and Ahmed was released to his parents.

This incident has raised allegations of racism and made the Texas school district the target of online outrage.

Ahmed’s father, Mohamed Elhassan Mohamed, blamed the incident on Islamophobia.

“He just wants to invent good things for mankind,” said the elder Mohamed, who emigrated from Sudan. “But because his name is Mohamed and because of September 11, I think my son got mistreated.”$

[video width="700" height="500" id="3mW4w0Y1OXE" type="youtube"]

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Rabat - An Iraqi national has been shot dead by police, this Tuesday in Berlin, after he stabbed a female officer with a knife, causing her serious injury.

A report by DW said German authorities considered the 41-year-old Iraqi part of Berlin's Islamist scene. Berlin police said a passerby on Heerstrasse in Western Berlin's Spandau area, alerted the police that a man was acting aggressively toward passers-by.

Four police cars were dispatched to the scene, following the alert. A police spokesman told reporters that the suspect stabbed a policewoman after she stepped out of her car and approached him, prompting another police to open fire and gun him down.

Police said they tried to resuscitate him, but he died of his wounds. The policewoman who was badly wounded, was flown to a hospital in a rescue helicopter, police added.

The unnamed man was handed a prison sentence by a court in Stuttgart in 2008 for membership of a terrorist organization, German news agency DPA reported.

The suspect was free on bail but ordered to wear an electronic tag. DPA said the man had removed an electronic ankle monitor he had been ordered to wear.

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Rabat - Amid wave of indignation across social media after French satirical newspaper Charlie Hebdo mocked the drowning of Syrian toddler AylanKurdi, Paulo Coelho, a world-renowned author, publicly condemned the newspaper.

The Brazilian author posted on September 15 an image of Charlie Hebdo’s cover, which features a gruesome picture of the drowned three-year-old lying face down on the beach, on his Facebook page with a statement saying, “What a STUPID way to try to be funny #shame”.

“Total lack of respect for the sake of a (bad) joke,” Paulo Coelho added.

The post received major attention on the social network, gaining over 29,444 likes and more than 8,996 shares.

Some users replied to the post saying that Charlie Hebdowas criticizing Europe’s response to migrant crisis with the cartoons of Aylan Kurdi, rather than mocking the Syrian toddler’s death.

Meanwhile, Coelho replied to these comments saying, “Many of you are saying that CH is trying to open our eyes, as if we were a bunch of stupid people who don't know what is going on. A nice way to put it, but I still think that Charlie Hebdo deserves the Petra Lazlo Prize for Brutal Coverage of the Migrant Crisis.”

[caption id="attachment_168105" align="alignnone" width="472"] Coelho's reply on claims that Charlie Hebdo did not mock the Syrian child[/caption]

While many users liked Coelho’s point of view, as the reply received more than 1,147 likes, a Facebook user, under the name of Tamara Hall, denounced Coelho’s response, alleging that he is wrong.

“Paulo Coelho, you are WRONG. Apparently we are indeed a bunch of stupid people who can't differentiate between a perfectly valid rhetorical device and a joke. You, out of all the people commenting, should know better. Such a disappointment if it's really you behind the keyboard,” she wrote.

The Brazilian author did not ignore Tamara’s comment, and replied to her, saying, “Tamara Hall, everything starts with rhetoric -from bullying to haters, to fundamentalism, to the most beautiful poems, to the justifications to invade Iraq. Rhetoric gave us Socrates and Hitler, and they are very different.”

[caption id="attachment_168107" align="alignnone" width="467"] The Brazilian author's reply to Tamara’s comment.[/caption]

Earlier this week, Charlie Hebdo came under fire for publishing cartoons on the death of three-year-old Syrian AylanKurdi - cartoons that many people have deemed disrespectful.

It was reported that the satirical French newspaper could face a legal action. British lawyer and political activist Peter Herbert, Chair of the Society of Black Lawyers and former Vice-Chair of the Metropolitan Police Authority, said the Society of Black Lawyers “will consider reporting this as incitement to hate crime & persecution before the International Criminal Court.”

Peter Herbert also criticized Charlie Hebdo, saying, “it is a purely racist, xenophobic and ideologically bankrupt publication.”

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Taroudant - About 1,028 Asian pilgrims were safely evacuated on Thursday morning from a hotel in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, after a fire broke out in a guest-room.

Nearly a week after a giant crane fell on the Grand Mosque, killing 111 pilgrims, the Saudi Civil Defence said a fire blaze started early Thursday on the eighth floor of an 11-story hotel in Mecca's Azizyiah neighborhood.

Abdullah al-Harthi, Spokesman for the Saudi Civil Defence Agency in Riyadh said that two pilgrims were injured in the fire.

Al-Harthi shared they have coordinated with the Saudi Hajj Ministry to accommodate the evacuated pilgrims.

Saudi officials, who have not yet revealed the exact nationality of the evacuated and injured pilgrims, said they have started investigations to explain the cause of fire.

Ahead of the incident, Major General Mohammed Al-Qahtani, Chief of the Civil Defense special emergency forces, said on Wednesday that members of the Civil Defence are fully trained in conformity with international standards to be able to handle any emergencies during the Hajj pilgrimage season.

“Our forces have undergone intensive training in all security areas that are connected to pilgrims and the holy sites,” Al-Qahtani said.

Over 3.1 million faithful Muslims are expected to arrive in Mecca to perform the Hajj pilgrimage, a mandatory religious duty for affluent and able Muslims, which begins next week.

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Rabat - A prominent Saudi Arabia cleric has whipped up controversy this Friday, by issuing a religious ruling forbidding entertainment and sports journalism.

Asked on a religious website if it was permissible for journalists to report on entertainment and sports, Sheikh Mohammed Saleh al-Munjid replied as saying that “it is forbidden because entertainment and sports journalists waste their lives in worldly things with no avail to their religion.”

According to Saudi daily Al Watan newspaper the prominent sheikh argued that entertainment and sports reporters invest their time in what will not avail them in the afterlife.

Mohammed Saleh al-Munjid went on to add that entertainment reporting is more sinful than sports reporting. He pointed out that entertainment journalists spend their lives following artists and dancers, making their sins greater.

Meanwhile, he said that it is permissible to reporters to specialize in military, politics or economics.

This fatwa provoked swift responses from Twitter users writing in Arabic and identifying themselves with Arab names. Saudi twitter users already lunched a hashtag in Arabic, mocking the fatwa and the prominent sheikh.

“We are longing to see another fatwa that forbids football players to waste their time in games,” a twitter user identified as Abou Adil wrote.

Bandar Sikt, another twitter user said: “Fatwa has become just like Oxygen for them (Saudi clerics)… They cannot breathe without issuing a new fatwa.”

This not the first time Sheikh Mohammed Saleh al-Munjid issues a controversial fatwa. Earlier this year, he made the headlines worldwide, sparking controversy, after he issued a fatwa forbidding snowmen.

Sheikh Mohammed Saleh al-Munajjid said "It is not permitted to make a statue out of snow, even by way of play and fun.”

Sheikh Munajjid argued that to build a snowman was to create an image of a human being, an action considered sinful under the kingdom's strict interpretation of Sunni Islam.

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Rabat - Following the rise of radical Islam in France, a new Franco-Moroccan statement was signed on Saturday concerning the training of French Imams in Morocco, to promote a tolerant version of Islam.

On Saturday, France and Morocco signed a joint statement on cooperation in the training of imams at the Mohammed VI Institute, opened in Rabat in March, during French President Francois Hollande’s visit this weekend.

A report by French news agency AFP said the training will promote "an Islam with the right balance" that conforms to "values of openness and tolerance".

Over 50 French imams will attend the international institute each year for religious training over the course of three years. A first class of 20 imams joined the Institute at its inauguration in March, while 30 more are expected to begin this month.

The new agreement was hailed by France’s Union of Mosques in France (UMF), reported France’s publication Le Point.

The French outlet quoted UMF head Mohammed Moussaoui as saying, "Through this cooperation between France and Morocco, UMF hopes to meet the immediate needs of training imams and chaplains, and prepare at the same time future teacher training institutions to be created on French territory."

The Mohammed VI Institute for the Training of Imams was inaugurated in March 2015 by Morocco's King Mohammed VI in the capital, Rabat.

The religious training center aims to instill the values of Morocco's open, moderate form of Islam, based on the Maliki rite and Sunni Sufism, in the next generation of Muslim religious leaders (imams) and preachers (morchidines and morchidates) from across the region and the world.

The center is a key element in Morocco's ongoing efforts to promote religious moderation and tolerance as a shield against extremism in the region.

In the aftermath of the January 7 slaughter of 17 people in Paris by Muslim jihadists, the Hollande government announced steps to increase counterterrorism surveillance and to intervene in the classroom to blunt the message of radical Islam.

In February, French Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve called for a push to encourage imams to take university-level civics classes.

Three years ago, Former president Nicolas Sarkozy hinted at growing segregation, singling out as the problem segments of a Muslim population. France’s Muslim population is the largest in Europe, estimated at about 10 percent of France’s 66 million people.

“We do not want on the territory of the French Republic the proliferation of aggressive religion,” he said. “We do not want, for example, that imams can preach violence.”

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Rabat - More than 70,000 fake copies of the Quran were seized on Monday by Saudi Arabian authorities.

A report by Saudi Arabia’s Al Arabya said local authorities found the false copies after stopping the truck that was carrying them near Al Jomoom village, a gateway to the village of Mecca.

According to the same source, the suspects were planning to deliver the fake copies of the Quran during the Hajj season, which began this Tuesday in Saudi Arabia.

Earlier in June, Mecca police foiled an attempt to distribute more than 200,000 fake copies of the Quran by a six-member Asian gang.

Every year, millions of pilgrims from all over the world head to Saudi Arabia in order to perform Hajj, which is among the five pillars of Islam.

Over two million pilgrims arrived in Saudi Arabia for this year’s Hajj season, statistics show.

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Rabat - World Kickboxing champion Badr Hari has announced on his Facebook page that he will donate 200 sheep on behalf of the Badr Hari Foundation.

"I had a great time giving away 200 sheep for The Holy Eid Al-Adha; an initiative from the Badr Hari Association," Badr Hari said on his official Facebook page.

The international champion announced that 30 sheep were distributed to Moroccan prisons, while 150 sheep were given to Moroccan widows fighting for their children. The last 5 sheep were gifted to nursing homes.

Hari states on his blog that he felt happy when he saw smiles on the faces of children and widows.

"We then dropped off 30 more at a prison, 5 at an elderly house and 150 more to widows with children who have been poor and unfortunate. It was an incredible day and it was fantastic to see smiles on the faces of many of these ladies," he said.

He also posted a collection of pictures where he is seen holding sheep to be distributed to some families and children.

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Taroudant - More than 1,800 state schools in New York will close for the first on September 24 on the occasion of the Muslim feast of sacrifice, known as Eid Al Adha.

The decision, which is considered the first of its kind in USA, will give a chance to about 1.1 million children in America’s largest school district to take the day off and celebrate Eid Al Adha with their families and loved ones without skipping any classes.

Bill de Blasio, the mayor of New York City, unveiled the new policy last March, announcing that New York state schools would get two days off for Eid Al Fitr and Eid Al Adha.

Schools in New York City are already closed Wednesday for the Jewish observance of Yom Kippur, also known as Day of Atonement, which is the holiest day of the year in Judaism.

The Muslim community welcomed the decision saying that it is a “hard-won victory,” at a time when Islamophobic acts are on the rise in America, Europe and Australia.

According to the French news agency (AFP), Linda Sarsour, a member of the Coalition for Muslim School Holidays and a New York activist with three children, said that “It is a huge victory to actually see the day come.”

“As an imam as well as a parent I am very happy,” Imam Shamsi Ali, director of the Jamaica Muslim Centre in Queens, told the same source “I’m sure this kind of policy from the government side will push Muslims further to feel a sense of belonging,” he said.

The American Muslim community are hoping that other American states will follow the example of New York and include Muslims’ two major ceremonies into their schools’ holiday calendars.

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Taroudant - French National Front party leader Marine Le Pen will appear in court for comparing Muslims’ public prayers to the Nazi occupation.

Marine Le Pen, the leader of the French far-right National Front party, will appear on October 20 before court on charges of incitement of religious hatred after comparing Muslims praying on the street to the Nazi occupation.

The Prosecutor’s office in Lyon said on Tuesday that the leader of the French extreme right party was ordered to stand before trial on charges of “incitement to discrimination over people’s religious beliefs.”

The charges over which Le Pen is sued date back to 2010 when she was campaigning to become the President of the Front National, and compared the public prayer of the Muslim population of France to the Nazi occupation.

During her campaign Le Pen said, “I’m sorry, but for those who really like to talk about the second world war, if we’re talking about occupation, we can also talk about this while we’re at it, because this is an occupation of territory,” she told supporters, prompting waves of applause.

“It’s an occupation of swaths of territory, of areas in which religious laws apply … for sure, there are no tanks, no soldiers, but it’s an occupation all the same and it weighs on people,” she added.

Le Pen took to Twitter to express her indignation over the court hearing, saying “It is easier to prosecute those who denounce the illegal behavior of fundamentalist...than to prosecute the fundamentalism behaving illegally.”

On est plus prompt à poursuivre ceux qui dénoncent les comportements illégaux des fondamentalistes [...] 1/2

— Marine Le Pen (@MLP_officiel) September 22, 2015

Asked on Tuesday about being summoned to appear in court on October 20, Le Pen told Agence France-Presse: “Of course, I’m not going to miss such an occasion.”

Later, she told Europe 1 it was “scandalous to be prosecuted for having a political opinion in the country of freedom of expression”.

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Taroudant - Around 140,000 Muslims gathered on Thursday morning at the site of the newly-inaugurated mosque in Moscow to celebrate Eid al Adha, an Islamic holiday also called the Feast of Sacrifice.

Social media users shared breathtaking images of Muslims in Russia partaking in the Eid al Adha prayer on Thursday morning.

The new grand structure consisting of a turquoise-colored dome known as Moscow Cathedral Mosque can accommodate up to 10,000 worshippers within its three stories. It is also considered one of Europe’s biggest mosques.

The celebration of Eid al Adha – known as Kurban Bayram in Russia – began at 06:30 local time (03:30 GMT).

The Russian Grand Mufti, Rawil Gaynetdin, led the prayers and gave the sermon to the approximate 140,000 of Islam believers present at the site.

The Muslim Board of Russia’s European Party and several political and religious leaders of Islamic countries participated in the opening ceremony of the Moscow Cathedral Mosque on September 23, 2015. The ceremony was presided by Russia's President, Vladimir Putin. 

President Putin has declared his satisfaction in the inauguration of the new mosque saying it “will be source for education, spreading humanist ideas and the true values of Islam”.

[video id="Y2x3I5eSH-g" type="youtube"]

[caption id="attachment_168646" align="aligncenter" width="730"] © Vladimir Astapkovich / RIA Novosti[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_168647" align="aligncenter" width="730"] © Vladimir Astapkovich / RIA Novosti[/caption]

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Taroudant - A huge fire broke out at Baitul Futuh mosque in Morden in south west London on Saturday.

The mosque, which presents itself as Western Europe's largest mosque, caught fire after midday.

According to BBC, “the brigade was called at just after 12:00 GMT+1 to the mosque, which also has a community center attached.”

Immediately after the brigade was called, 70 firefighters were dispatched to the scene to tackle the blaze, which was under control by around 17:30 GMT+1.

We now have 10 fire engines & 70 firefighters tackling the #Morden mosque fire: http://t.co/Cb5cY27U7D Pic Sam Hart pic.twitter.com/kDYgnbGU32

— London Fire Brigade (@LondonFire) September 26, 2015

The few worshipers who were inside the mosque when the blaze started were evacuated from the site, and only one man has been taken to hospital to receive treatment after inhaling smoke.

“About 50% of the building's ground floor was damaged as well as part of the first floor and a section of the roof,” BBC said.

According to the same source, two teenage boys, aged 16 and 14, have been arrested earlier on Sunday on suspicion of arson at the Baitul Futuh Mosque.

Stephen Alambritis, Merton council leader, described the mosque as a “beautiful” and a “major landmark”, adding that the damage would be a “big blow” to the community.

[video id="izpclfr-EqU" type="youtube"]

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Taroudant - Moroccan Authorities published the lists of dead, injured and missing Moroccan pilgrims following the tragic stampede that occurred at Mina last Thursday. The accident claimed the lives of more than 763 pilgrims and left more than 863 injured.

The lists were published on the official website of the Moroccan Foreign Ministry and Cooperation: www.diplomatie.ma

The ministry called on families whose relatives are in Mekkah performing Hajj to check the lists.

Moroccan authorities said on Monday that five Moroccans were killed at the Mina stampede, while eight were injured and 34 are still missing.

The lists of Moroccan pilgrims are as follows:

[caption id="attachment_168954" align="aligncenter" width="730"] List of dead Moroccan pilgrims[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_168955" align="aligncenter" width="730"] List of the injured Moroccan pilgrims[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_168956" align="aligncenter" width="761"] List of the missing Moroccan pilgrims[/caption]

The post Lists of Dead, Injured and Missing Moroccan Pilgrims appeared first on Morocco World News.

By Yasyn Mouhir

Marrakech - At the request of the Spanish Justice Minister Rafael Catala, the Council of Ministers approved a Royal Decree on Friday granting Spanish citizenship to 4,302 Sephardic Jews.

Moroccan Jews are among the main beneficiaries of this historic decision.

Sephardic Jews are descendants of the Jews who lived on the Iberian Peninsula under Muslim rule until the end of the 15^th century.

Expelled in 1492, Most of the Sephardic Jews granted citizenship are Venezuelans, Turks, and Moroccans, according to the Federation of Jewish Communities in Spain.

The new citizens will not be subjected to the typical rules of administrative procedure, which stipulate that the Government can grant citizenship through a Royal Decree after evaluating the concurrence of exceptional circumstances, as dictated by the Civil Code.

Catala explained, "This measure is another piece of the development of 12/2015 Law of Granting Citizenship to Sephardic Jews, which came into force on Thursday and sets a ‘special’ procedure to grant these people Spanish citizenship."

The Minister pointed out that 4,302 applications for citizenship were "in various stages of processing" in the Ministry of Justice when the law came into force. It “seemed reasonable not to subject them again at the beginning of the process but speed their procedures," he added.

As a result, the Ministry chose to approve the cases once the existence of "historical ties with Spain" is confirmed and the new citizens have no criminal record "and no problem in that regard."

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Taroudant - Dozens of Moroccan pilgrims families reportedly vowed to sue Saudi Arabia over the Mina Stampede that claimed the lives of 19 Moroccans and left several missing.

According to the Moroccan daily Almassae in its Monday issue, dozens of Moroccan families consulted well-known lawyers at a French office to file a lawsuit against the Saudi state in international courts.

The Moroccan daily Arabic newspaper said that an Amazigh Cooperation is still in contact with other families who lost their members in Mina Tragedy, in order to take their case to international justice and demanded allowances from Riyadh.

Al Massae reports that the appeal came following claims that Saudi Arabia was responsible for the mismanagement of the Hajj ritual, the symbolic stoning of Satan, which caused the stampede in Mina.

The daily newspaper added that Moroccan families said that Saudi Authorities did not take the necessary security measures.

On Friday, the Moroccan pilgrims organized a sit-in to denounce mismanagement and lawlessness that marked this year's Hajj.

Which led to 19 Moroccan pilgrims’ deaths in the Mina stampede and left twenty seven other pilgrims still missing.

Upon instructions of King Mohammed VI, a delegation composed of representatives of the ministries of interior, foreign affairs, health and Habous and Islamic affairs, visited hospitals and the morgue in Mecca to follow up the identification of the Moroccan victims and determine their location.

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Taroudant - Last week, a group of Muslims organized a Halal version of speed dating in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia’s capital.

The Halal, meaning permissible under Islamic law, dating aims at encouraging young people to meet, discuss and hopefully find a good partner for marriage under Sharia Laws.

Since Islam prohibits “Khalwa,” meeting with a member of the opposite sex other than a spouse or close relative in a private place, the organizers came up with a creative way to allow youth to meet in lawful meetings.

According to Reuters, the dating service was arranged in conformity with Islam requirements. “Women speed daters must be chaperoned by a wali, or guardian, until she gets married and who grants her the permission to do so,” Reuters reported.

Speed daters can shortlist up to three people, however marriage can only be negotiated with one possible partner at a time in the presence of the girl’s wali (responsible).

Halal Speed Dating co-founders Zuhri Yuhyi, 34, and Norhayati Ismail, 41, said, "Halal Speed Dating is the anti-Tinder. Instead of casual hookups, Halal Speed Dating is about dignified and chaperoned meet-ups with the intention of marriage. In fact, we do not condone the modern dating that is commonly practiced."

The organizers said that unlike online meetings, and dating apps, Halal Dating Service proved its success and people are getting more interested in the service.

The first meeting was organized in May, when about 80 people joined, and the second meeting was organized last week with 60 interested young Muslims.

The founders said that about 2,300 people have signed up to attend the coming session, most of them urban professionals between the ages of 25 to 35.

Unlike other Muslim countries where young people enjoy more freedom, public displays of affection and intimacy before marriage are strictly forbidden in Malaysia. Malaysian Muslims may face fines and jail terms if caught in unlawful meeting.

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