A family lost a defamation battle with a British mosque over claims that they were permanently barred after raising questions over £250,000 donations from Sadiq Al Ghariani, the grand mufti of Libya, because of his alleged Islamist links.
Three members of the Abdulrazaq family claim they were punished by the trustees of a mosque in Exeter, south-west England, for questioning five separate payments from 2014 made by Mr Al Ghariani, who has justified suicide bomb attacks in Libya.
Mr Al Ghariani lived in Exeter where he studied for a doctorate before returning to Libya after the fall of the Libyan dictator Muammar Qaddafi. He is regarded by the Muslim Brotherhood and others as the country’s grand mufti.
After an increasingly bitter dispute, in September 2019 the mosque leadership voted to bar the father and his two sons from the mosque.
It gave 24 reasons for the decision, including making frivolous complaints at the courts that were time-consuming and “put a needless strain on the mosque”. They were also accused of trying to trip over a trustee in the main prayer hall and bullying a child.
The family, Tallha, Basim and Abdulaziz Abdulrazaq, said the true reason for being barred was punishment for “raising perfectly valid questions about the Al Ghariani monies”, according to High Court documents.
The trustees said that the donations were legitimate and paid for building work in the Muslim community. They claimed that the real reason for the dispute was the failed attempts by a member of the family to join the mosque’s executive committee.
They posted a notice at the mosque and on social media with photographs of the three men and cited the “unacceptable behaviour and malicious actions” of the three who had “caused non-Muslims to believe that the mosque condoned terrorism”.
The family sued over the notice, which accused them of shattering the “peace, harmony and sanctity” of the Exeter Mosque and Cultural Centre.
But the judge ruled that the trustees were protected under law when responding to criticisms made by the family.
Mr Justice Jay said the family had claimed that “the Al Ghariani cash payments lie at the heart of this dispute, and represent the real reason for all the decisions made”.
He said the family had failed to come up with evidence to back up their claim. “The limited documentary material that has been made available do not support that interpretation,” he said.
The judge found in favour of the trustees and ordered the family to pay their legal costs.
Mr Al Ghariani featured in the US State department’s 2020 report on religious freedom when it accused the internationally-recognised Government of National Accord of failing to exercise effective control over its religious leaders.
It highlighted an address broadcast on a Libyan television network in which Mr Ghariani said suicide attacks against the enemy were allowed by sharia.
Destroyer
Director: Karyn Kusama
Cast: Nicole Kidman, Toby Kebbell, Sebastian Stan
Rating: 3/5
UAE release: January 31
Various Artists
Habibi Funk: An Eclectic Selection Of Music From The Arab World (Habibi Funk)
Tax authority targets shisha levy evasion
The Federal Tax Authority will track shisha imports with electronic markers to protect customers and ensure levies have been paid.
Khalid Ali Al Bustani, director of the tax authority, on Sunday said the move is to "prevent tax evasion and support the authority’s tax collection efforts".
The scheme’s first phase, which came into effect on 1st January, 2019, covers all types of imported and domestically produced and distributed cigarettes. As of May 1, importing any type of cigarettes without the digital marks will be prohibited.
He said the latest phase will see imported and locally produced shisha tobacco tracked by the final quarter of this year.
"The FTA also maintains ongoing communication with concerned companies, to help them adapt their systems to meet our requirements and coordinate between all parties involved," he said.
As with cigarettes, shisha was hit with a 100 per cent tax in October 2017, though manufacturers and cafes absorbed some of the costs to prevent prices doubling.
Walls
Louis Tomlinson
3 out of 5 stars
(Syco Music/Arista Records)
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
LOVE%20AGAIN
%3Cp%3EDirector%3A%20Jim%20Strouse%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EStars%3A%20Priyanka%20Chopra%20Jonas%2C%20Sam%20Heughan%2C%20Celine%20Dion%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3ERating%3A%202%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
More on Quran memorisation:
Diriyah%20project%20at%20a%20glance
%3Cp%3E-%20Diriyah%E2%80%99s%201.9km%20King%20Salman%20Boulevard%2C%20a%20Parisian%20Champs-Elysees-inspired%20avenue%2C%20is%20scheduled%20for%20completion%20in%202028%3Cbr%3E-%20The%20Royal%20Diriyah%20Opera%20House%20is%20expected%20to%20be%20completed%20in%20four%20years%3Cbr%3E-%20Diriyah%E2%80%99s%20first%20of%2042%20hotels%2C%20the%20Bab%20Samhan%20hotel%2C%20will%20open%20in%20the%20first%20quarter%20of%202024%3Cbr%3E-%20On%20completion%20in%202030%2C%20the%20Diriyah%20project%20is%20forecast%20to%20accommodate%20more%20than%20100%2C000%20people%3Cbr%3E-%20The%20%2463.2%20billion%20Diriyah%20project%20will%20contribute%20%247.2%20billion%20to%20the%20kingdom%E2%80%99s%20GDP%3Cbr%3E-%20It%20will%20create%20more%20than%20178%2C000%20jobs%20and%20aims%20to%20attract%20more%20than%2050%20million%20visits%20a%20year%3Cbr%3E-%20About%202%2C000%20people%20work%20for%20the%20Diriyah%20Company%2C%20with%20more%20than%2086%20per%20cent%20being%20Saudi%20citizens%3Cbr%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
How to become a Boglehead
Bogleheads follow simple investing philosophies to build their wealth and live better lives. Just follow these steps.
• Spend less than you earn and save the rest. You can do this by earning more, or being frugal. Better still, do both.
• Invest early, invest often. It takes time to grow your wealth on the stock market. The sooner you begin, the better.
• Choose the right level of risk. Don't gamble by investing in get-rich-quick schemes or high-risk plays. Don't play it too safe, either, by leaving long-term savings in cash.
• Diversify. Do not keep all your eggs in one basket. Spread your money between different companies, sectors, markets and asset classes such as bonds and property.
• Keep charges low. The biggest drag on investment performance is all the charges you pay to advisers and active fund managers.
• Keep it simple. Complexity is your enemy. You can build a balanced, diversified portfolio with just a handful of ETFs.
• Forget timing the market. Nobody knows where share prices will go next, so don't try to second-guess them.
• Stick with it. Do not sell up in a market crash. Use the opportunity to invest more at the lower price.
