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International Quran Competition set to begin in Makkah today
The Ministry seeks to employ several new techniques to search for talent in the seven-day event. “Every year many new faces join us from different countries through our website,” said Abdul Aziz bin Abdurrahman Sbihin, Secretary General of the competition. The website has several development programs for the conservation and interpretation of the Holy Qur’an this year to make the competition easy. “That way we can get more accurate results,” added Sbihin. |
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Construction works of Makkah monorail to start in December
Five specialized international companies, which were short-listed from 10, are competing for the multibillion dollar project, he said, adding that a meeting chaired by Prince Miteb bin Abdul Aziz, minister of municipal and rural affairs and chairman of the commission, would be held tomorrow to open their tenders. Zain Al-Abidine said a feasibility study conducted by an international company had proposed five monorails linking the holy sites, Arab News reported. Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah has given his approval to the project that will ease transportation of more than three million pilgrims between the holy sites. |
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OIC Chief urges to rush aid to Algeria, Kyrgyzstan
In a statement, Prof. Ihsanoglu also made the same appeal for the Kyrgyz Republic which was hit by an earthquake in the Alai region, hence causing immense destructions and great losses of life. "The Humanitarian Affairs Department at the OIC is therefore ready to receive any assistance in kind or cash so as to deliver it to those affected people both in Algeria and Kirghizstan," he added. |
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Bahrain to host World Islamic Banking Conference
He said that it attracts more than 1,000 delegates from 45 countries and has grown to have 60 market leaders as sponsors. Keynote speakers this year include Rasheed M. Al Maraj, the Governor of The Central Bank of Bahrain, and Heng Swee Keat, Governor of the Monetary Authority of Singapore. In addition, renowned author Toby Birch will provide insights into the current turmoil in the international financial markets which he foreshadowed in his book The Final Crash. |
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Six Muslims burned alive in Indian state, probe sought
The victims have been identified as Mahboob Khan (55), Safiya Khan (50), Rizwana Begum (22), Arsulam Khan (6), Numan Khan (3) and Sabat Khan (2). While the relatives alleged that Mahboob Khan's family members were killed and later burnt to death by pouring kerosene on them, a villager, Narsanna, said he saw the flames raging in the house but did not muster the courage to enter it. In the violence in Bhainsa, over 40 shops and a dozen vehicles, mainly belonging to Muslims, were burned down by rampaging Hindu mobs. Police said though the situation in the town, 275 km from here, remained peaceful, miscreants attacked and set fire to the house, belonging to a Muslim family, early yesterday. |
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Quake kills 13 in Chechnya
Earlier, a Health Ministry spokesman in Grozny said 12 people were killed in the aftermath of the quake and 105 were injured, seven critically. About 500 families needed tent shelters for the night in the town of Kurchaloi, about 20 km southeast of the Chechen capital, which saw the worst damage in the region, the Emergencies Ministry said. At least five of the victims were killed in Kurchaloi, where the tremor cracked the walls of the local hospital, forcing medics to treat the injured elsewhere, Reuters reported quoting the ministry as saying. |
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Scores killed in Afghanistan
Al Jazeera's Dan Nolan, reporting from Kabul, said that an Afghan official based in Lashkar Gah described the attack as the "worst fighting he's ever seen in the town". Daud Ahmadi, a spokesman for the Helmand government, said 64 Taliban fighters were killed. But his death toll could not be verified independently and journalists are not able to travel to the remote and dangerous battle sites. Afghan officials have been known to exaggerate death tolls in the past. |
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Prof. Ihsanoglu meets Finnish President
Prof. Ihsanoglu commended the efforts made by the Government of Finland to protect the minorities in Finland, including Muslims, who live in a harmonious society and enjoy the freedom of worship. The meeting also addressed the Palestinian question and the situation in the Caucasus. The two sides stressed the importance of promoting dialogue between the OIC and the EU concerning issues of common concern and establishing dialogue between the OIC and the OSCE of which Finland is currently the chair. |
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Over a million visit Web site of Holy Mosques
Ahmad bin Eid al-Wizeinani, director of Electronic Applications Unit at the General Presidency for the Affairs of the Two Holy Mosques, said the Muslims are keen on getting acquainted with the affairs of the holy mosques. He noted that arrangements are underway to increase the number of cameras at the Holy Mosque and to install similar cameras for direct transmission from the Prophet's Mosque. |
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Synagogue opened near Al Aqsa Mosque
The goal of the excavation is “to reveal the Jewish people’s past,” said Rabinovich. He said the heritage foundation has the right to operate throughout the old city, and that he is unaware of a need to ask permission from Muslim quarter residents who live near the excavation site. The property, located between the Cotton Merchants Gate and the Heavy Chain Gate, was purchased by the Hungarian Jewish community in 1867. The structure was erected in 1917 and blown up by Jordanian shelling in 1948. The Al-Aqsa Foundation for Endowment and Heritage said that the Western Wall Heritage Foundation and the Israel Antiquities Authority constructed a network of tunnels and excavations in Jerusalem’s old city to link Ohel Yitzhak in the Muslim quarter with the Western Wall tunnels in the Jewish quarter. |
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