CAIRO (AP) — At the height of international world cup fervor, an
ultra-conservative Egyptian cleric has said that watching soccer matches was unacceptable in Islam because it is a distraction and "destroys nations." Yasser Borhami, a founding member of the main Salafi movement in Egypt, the Salafi Call, said spending time watching the games was "a disaster that makes me very irate." He said it was a distraction from religious and worldly duties, ultimately leading to "the destruction of nations and peoples." His religious opinion, or edict, which was posted on the group's website in a video Saturday, differed sharply with the conventional wisdom that global sports competitions like the World Cup serve to foster camaraderie and understanding among the nations of the world. READ FULL ARTICLE A Tulsa, Oklahoma, police captain who refused to set foot in a mosque hosting a police appreciation ceremony was rightfully punished for disobedience, a federal appeals court has ruled.
Paul Fields had sued the city of Tulsa and its police department for infringing on his civil rights after he was suspended and docked 10 days' pay, transferred and relegated to the graveyard shift. He had been ordered to attend a thank-you function at the Islamic Society of Tulsa or send subordinates in his place, according to court records, but he claimed the request infringed on his religious beliefs. A district court ruled against him. READ FULL ARTICLE |