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The Irish government faces a tough battle to get the EU's Lisbon Treaty ratified in a referendum next month, the country's foreign minister says.
Micheal Martin was speaking after a new opinion poll suggested a drop in support for the treaty.
"I was never under any illusion but that it would be difficult to secure this, but I do think we can do it," Mr Martin said on Ireland's RTE radio.
The treaty was rejected in a referendum in the Republic of Ireland last year.
Ireland is the only one of the EU's 27 member states to put the treaty to a referendum. The complex document, drawn up after years of negotiation, is aimed at streamlining EU institutions.
'Significant challenge'
Mr Martin stressed that the government had "succeeded in ensuring every country retains a commissioner" in the EU.
"There is a very significant challenge ahead, it's going to be a very tight campaign and it will demand all of the resources, conviction, politics and passion of all of those on the Yes side," he said.
The parliaments in nearly all of the 27 member states have ratified the treaty, but it cannot enter into force unless all the countries ratify it.
An Irish Times/TNS opinion poll published on Friday showed 46% of respondents would vote Yes - an eight-point fall since the last such poll in May.
Opposition to the treaty stood at 29% - a one-point rise.
The figure for "Don't Knows" was 25% - a seven-point jump. The poll sampled 1,000 voters nationwide earlier this week.
Irish guarantees
Dublin has secured binding EU guarantees that the treaty will not affect Irish sovereignty over key issues such as military neutrality and abortion.
These issues, along with taxation policy, were identified as major concerns of Irish voters after the June 2008 referendum.
The second Irish vote, on 2 October, is seen as the last major hurdle delaying Lisbon's entry into force.
The treaty's opponents argue that it is just the defunct EU Constitution repackaged, and say it will undermine national sovereignty. The constitution was rejected by French and Dutch voters in 2005.
EU leaders and other pro-Lisbon politicians say the treaty is needed to make the enlarged 27-nation EU more efficient.
Under Lisbon, the six-monthly rotating EU presidency would be replaced by one that runs for two-and-a-half years, there would be a powerful new foreign affairs chief and the European Parliament would gain wider powers.
The treaty would give the parliament a bigger say over the appointment of the new European Commission and would boost the number of Euro MPs from 736 to 754. But the number of commissioners would be kept at 27.
Are you in Ireland? Will you be voting in next month's referendum? Do you think it will be a tight outcome? How do you intend to vote? Will you vote differently to how you cast your ballot in last year's referendum?
What is Ramadan? What do Muslims gain from fasting?
Islamic Ramadan Wallpapers - DeviantArt Collection
Lailatul Qadr - Shab e Qadar - The Night of Power
Special Ramadan Naat Mp3s Download & Listen
Important information about Zakaah, Nisaab & Sadqah-Tul-Fitr
What is Ramadan? What do Muslims gain from fasting?
Posted: 19 Aug 2009 01:08 AM PDT
What is Ramadan?
Ramadan is the name of the ninth Islamic lunar month. It is the month Allah (The one God), ordered the Muslims to fast since it was the month He revealed the Qur’an (the Muslims’ holy scripture) to Muhammad (the final Prophet of Allah). Muslims abstain from eating, drinking and intimate relations with their spouse during the daylight hours of the blessed month. It is a time for Muslims to contemplate on their belief and increase their faith by actively increasing in worship, prayer and receiting the Qur’an. It is an opportunity for spiritual as well as physical purification.
Do Muslims not eat and drink for a whole month?
No. Muslims are ordered to abstain from food, drink and sensual pleasures from the break of dawn until sunset throughout the whole month. That means, that after sunset until the break of dawn of the following day, Muslims may eat and drink as they please. Many Muslims take this opportunity to invite friends and family over to share in the spirit of Ramadan
What do Muslims do during Ramadan?
Muslims usually wake before dawn to take a small meal called “suhoor”. They abstain from eating, drinking and sensual pleasures during the daylight hours of the blessed month. Muslims exert more effort in worship, praying, contemplating, helping others, giving charity, reciting the Quran (the holy book of the Muslims); many Muslims endeavour to complete the Qur’an’s recitation at least once during the month. At sunset, Muslims break their fast, usually with a big meal with family and friends. Many Muslims also attend the mosque at night, to engage in special night prayers called “taraweeh”.
Is Ramadan a Prophet of Islam?
No, Ramadan is not a Prophet of Islam. Ramadan is simply the name of the ninth month of the Islamic lunar calender. It happens to be the month that Allah (the One God) revealed the Qur’an, to Muhammad (the final Prophet of Allah). Islam believes and honours all the Prophets of the past as servants and Messengers of Allah, including Noah (Nooh), Abraham (Ibrahim), Moses (Musa) and Jesus (’Isa) May Allah send His peace upon them all. Muslims believe that Muhammad is the final Messenger of Allah, that the previous Messengers prophesised about. He preached the same message as those before him: “Worship Allah (the one God) alone, you have no god besides Him”.
Do children, sick and old people need to fast?
Fasting is only obligated on Muslims who have reached puberty, are sane and are healthy. So children who have not reached puberty are exempt, but are encouraged to fast some days, or a portion of a day, to train them for when they are obliged to fast. The temporarily sick who have a sickness that may extend a few days, where fasting may serverly affect them or prolong their recovery are not obliged to fast but must make up the days after Ramadan. The chronically ill and elderly, for example those with diabetes, are not obliged to fast, but should feed a needy or poor person for each day they miss.
How did the fast during Ramadan become obligatory for Muslims?
The revelations from God to the Prophet Muhammad that would eventually be compiled as the Quran began during Ramadan in the year 610, but the fast of Ramadan did not become a religious obligation for Muslims until the year 624. The obligation to fast is explained in the second chapter of the Quran: “O you who believe! Fasting is prescribed for you as it was prescribed for those before you, that you may become righteous…The month of Ramadhan [is that] in which was revealed the Qur’an, a guidance for the people and clear proofs of guidance and criterion. So whoever sights [the new moon of] the month, let him fast it;…” (Chapter 2, verses 183 and 185)
What do Muslims believe they gain from fasting?
One of the main benefits of Ramadan are an increased compassion for those in need of the necessities of life, a sense of self-purification and reflection and a renewed focus on spirituality. Muslims also appreciate the feeling of togetherness shared by family and friends throughout the month. Perhaps the greatest practical benefit is the yearly lesson in self-restraint and discipline that can carry forward to other aspects of a Muslim’s life such as work and education.
Why does Ramadan begin on a different day each year?
Because Ramadan is a lunar month, it begins about eleven days earlier each year. Throughout a Muslim’s lifetime, Ramadan will fall both during winter months, when the days are short, and summer months, when the days are long and the fast is more difficult. In this way, the difficulty of the fast is evenly distributed between Muslims living in the northern and southern hemispheres.
What is Lailat ul-Qadr?
Lailat ul-Qadr (”Night of Power”) marks the anniversary of the night on which the Prophet Muhammad first began receiving revelations from God, through the angel Gabriel. An entire chapter in the Quran deals with this night: “We have indeed revealed this (Message) in the Night of Power: and what will explain to thee what the Night of Power is? The Night of Power is better than a thousand months. Therein come down the angels and the Spirit by God’s permission, on every errand. Peace!…This until the rise of morn.” (Chapter 97) Muslims believe Lailat ul-Qadr is one of the last odd-numbered nights of Ramadan.
Is it difficult to perform the fast in Australia, Canada, USA, and UK?
In many ways, fasting in Australia, Canada, USA, and UK is easier than fasting in some of the African countries where the climate is extremely hot. This year at least, the number of daylight hours will be less than when Ramadan occurs during the summer. In Muslim countries, most people are observing the fast, so there are fewer temptations such as luncheon meetings, daytime celebrations and offers of food from friends. Many Australian Muslims would prefer a daytime work shift during Ramadan so that they may break the fast with their families and attend evening prayers.
How can non-Muslim co-workers and friends help someone who is fasting?
Employers, co-workers and teachers can help by understanding the significance of Ramadan and by showing a willingness to make minor allowances for its physical demands. Special consideration can be given to such things as requests for vacation time, the need for flexible early morning or evening work schedules and lighter homework assignments. It is also very important that Muslim workers and students be given time to attend Eid prayers at the end of Ramadan. Eid is as important to Muslims as Christmas and Yom Kippur are to Christians and Jews. A small token such as a card (there are Eid cards available from Muslim bookstores) or baked goods given to a Muslim co-worker during Eid ul-Fitr would also be greatly appreciated. Hospital workers should be aware that injections and oral medications might break the fast. Patients should be given the opportunity to decide whether or not their condition exempts them from fasting.
Do people normally lose weight during Ramadan?
Some people do lose weight, but others may not. It is recommended that meals eaten during Ramadan be light, but most people can’t resist sampling special sweets and foods associated with Ramadan.
Source:
http://www.ramadan.com.au/ramadan-faq
Note:
The name of Video is "Ramadan Assalam" by Dr Amir Liaquat, was done by Geo Television
84% of business leaders in Ireland believe last year's rejection of the Lisbon Treaty by popular referendum damaged the country's international reputation.The survey of 300 Irish CEOs by the Irish Business and Employers Confederation (IBEC) also found that over 98% of respondents believe EU membership has been important for the success of Irish business.
Among companies with over 50 employees, the figure was 100%, while for companies with fewer than 50 staff, the figure was 97.6%.
This comes as Ireland gears up for a vigorous debate on the Lisbon Treaty ahead of a referendum scheduled for 2 October. The electorate rejected the treaty in June 2008, with 53.4% voting against its adoption.
Commenting on the survey, IBEC Director of EU and International Affairs Brendan Butler said a 'yes' vote would represent an essential step on the road to economic recovery, and would "send a very positive signal to our European and international partners".
"The treaty will protect key national interests and reform the EU to face the challenges ahead. Our ability to set our own tax policy is guaranteed along with arrangements concerning foreign direct investment. This means that Ireland will remain among one of the most attractive places in the world to invest," Butler said.
The Irish government came in for criticism for failing to sell Lisbon to its people last year during a campaign blighted by confusion. This time around, leaders and civil society are promising a more focused campaign, and Irish Prime Minister Brian Cowen has expressed optimism in the wake of securing several guarantees from EU leaders on Irish neutrality, corporate tax and ethical issues (EurActiv 19/06/09).
The Irish Congress of Trade Unions and the Irish Farmers Association also back the treaty, along with the two governing parties and the two main opposition groups.
Vocal opponents of the Lisbon Treaty – including Socialist MEP Joe Higgins, the Sinn Féin party and pro-life groups – have been critical of the content of the treaty as well as the decision to re-run the referendum despite it being rejected just last year.
Bookmakers in Dublin are offering good odds (10/1 on) that the Lisbon Treaty will be passed, although the betting fluctuated dramatically ahead of the last year's referendum and the full-blown campaign is not expected to kick off until September. Euro Activ
Afraid of Google taking over the world? The Justice Department seems to be. It recently confirmed its antitrust investigation into the Google Book Search Settlement, citing "public comments expressing concern" as impetus for the inquiry. European Union officials have also started sniffing around.
These concerns are misguided, and outmoded antitrust regulation will stunt the growth of the emerging book search market.
Google launched its Book Search project in 2004 with the worthy goal of digitizing and indexing the world's books. Litigation promptly ensued. In 2005, the Authors Guild filed a class-action copyright infringement suit on behalf of all owners of book copyrights.
In a settlement proposed last year, Google negotiated a license to digitize these books. Google would pay $45 million upfront, pay royalties on all book search revenues going forward, and create a registry to enable authors to receive payment. The settlement must be approved by Judge Denny Chin, who is presiding over the case and has slated a hearing for October.
The most contentious issue concerns "orphan works," copyrighted texts that are no longer in print and whose owners cannot be found. Without the aggregation of copyrights by the class-action lawsuit, Google would not have been able to obtain a license to these works. Some critics have argued that granting Google a license in this manner will exploit the rights of orphan works authors, which they claim should be in the public domain. Perhaps, but this is not a matter of antitrust concern.Many of the public comments decrying the settlement come from Google's largest competitors. The Internet Archive, which has scanned 1.5 million books to date, claims that Google will monopolize the market for orphaned texts. But the comments by the Archive and others ignore a crucial fact.
The fact that orphan works are out of print implies that these books have little if any market value, and publishers do not consider them profitable to sell. Therefore, they are only available at the few libraries that stock them. In this state, orphan works are unlikely to ever be rediscovered by the market or gain popularity.
Digitizing orphan works will make them available, but there is no guarantee they would acquire market value or earn a profit. Google is paying a high upfront cost for this gambit in both infrastructure investment and settlement payments.
Given all that investment, antitrust penalties on Google would allow its competitors to free-ride on its investment. Internet Archive President Peter Brantley has advocated requiring open access to the orphan works. In practice, that would mean that after Google pays to scan all orphan works, its competitors will be able to pick and choose which ones to offer.
Furthermore, the claim that Google will have exclusive access to orphan works is unfounded. The settlement gives Google a nonexclusive license. New entrants can enter the market at will. Even if the only way to license these works is to settle another class-action lawsuit, the $45 million precedent makes litigation inevitable.
The court must consider whether the rights of orphan work authors will be fairly represented under the settlement. Consumer benefit, not pressure from the Justice Department, should guide the court's decision.
Google is creating a market for orphan works and is making them available for widespread access. Antitrust interference will only distort market incentives and hinder the growth of this nascent sector.JONATHAN HILLEL is a policy fellow at the Competitive Enterprise Institute in Washington, D.C. and a contributor to OpenMarket.org. He wrote this article for the Mercury News.By Jonathan Hillel
Can visits to Ellis Island, Yankee Stadium, Manhattan’s 96th Street Mosque, Yeshiva University, the White House and the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum — among other American landmarks — give Jewish and Muslim leaders from Europe a model that not only will help them combat antisemitism and Islamophobia, but also instill within them a vision for religious integration and interfaith dialogue?
As a delegation of European rabbis and imams toured the United Nations as part of a visit on the morning of July 20, Swiss interfaith activist Hafid Ouardiri took to the General Assembly’s famous lectern and delivered an mock message of how easy it could all be.“Now, peace is a reality!” he bellowed, to laughs and applause. “This is the peace of the rabbi and the peace of the Muslim together to help the world to live better.”
But shortly after he took the stage, event organizers whisked away Ouardiri and the other delegates. Time was of the essence, they said, and the lectern was off-limits to visitors.
It was a moment that underscored the tenuous nature of the Foundation for Ethnic Understanding’s inaugural conference of European religious leaders. For four days in New York and Washington, the group of about two dozen clerics would attempt to balance lofty ideals with complex religious and political realities.
But some participants recognized that not everything was easily translatable.
“The dynamic in the United Kingdom is different,” said Sheikh Muhammad Al-Husseini, a British imam who teaches at Leo Baeck College, a rabbinic seminary in North London.
Rabbi Jackie Tabick of North West Surrey Synagogue echoed her British delegation colleague, citing the lack of a shared assimilation narrative common to both American and British Muslims.
“The historical experience has been terribly different,” she said. “It would seem that the [British] Muslim community does not equate with the societal experience in America.”
In England, Al-Husseini said, Muslims tend to be less educated and less likely to occupy the middle class. In addition, Jews in the U.K. probably would feel “a little more hesitant getting involved,” Tabick said, because of population ratios: Her synagogue has 300 family members, while the local mosque has nearly 3,000.
Still, most conference participants — Tabick included — said that the mere existence of a forum for interfaith communication represents some measure of progress.
Hip-hop mogul Russell Simmons, who serves as chairman of the foundation, said, “Dialogue and tolerance leads to love” — a sentiment he said is grounded in the scriptures of each of the world’s major religions.
“It’s written in different languages by men of different colors, but it’s always the same rap,” he told the Forward. “These men of faith… for them it’s simple. Getting them in the room is such an obvious step and such a simple idea.”
Rabbi Marc Schneier, the foundation’s president, said he hoped the interfaith mission can serve as a springboard for continued communication. The conference also may contribute to the extension of the Twinning Project, a year-old foundation effort that pairs mosques and synagogues in the hopes that Jewish and Muslim congregants will experience, and thereby demystify, the other religion’s culture and house of worship.
Schneier said his organization has focused on Muslim-Jewish relations in only the past two years, after 17 years of centering on black-Jewish relations. To expand that focus globally, he said, has been a foundation goal for only about half a year.
Even so, European participants said they appreciate the outreach effort.
“We in Europe are in dire need for dialogue between Muslims and Jews. We need to, through dialogue, show and struggle for our rights, our freedoms, our status,” said Senaid Kobilica, a Norwegian imam. “We have much to learn from America. Problems of racism, discrimination, marginalization… that’s our problem in Europe, and America can definitely be the model for that.”
Though differing colonialist histories and immigration sagas have made the experiences of North American and European Muslims vastly dissimilar, Canadian diversity activist Karen Mock said that the trick to truly using the United States as a model for interfaith engagement is to avoid viewing America as a panacea.
“I don’t think any model is totally applicable when you move to different contexts,” she said. “What is important is building relationships, getting to know the ‘other,’ building on what is applicable.”
Speaking to the conference after a roundtable discussion at the U.N., Rabbi Reuben Livingstone of England’s Hampstead Garden Suburb Synagogue, said he understood that bringing up some issues wasn’t worth the drama the discussion would cause.
“There are some things I’m aware we won’t be talking about, and some things we shouldn’t be talking about,” he said. “Primarily, we need not put any stumbling blocks before us in the simple process of talking about those things we can talk about.”
Having the conference based in New York and Washington further aids that effort. Unlike the Old World or the Middle East, where “history weighs heavily on our shoulders,” America serves as a symbol of change and innovation, Livingstone said.
“This is America, where history is not so heavy, and where new beginnings are the ethos and order of the day. We need that sense of new beginnings more than ever,” the rabbi continued. “It’s all well and good to talk of the great lessons. It’s rather another thing to have the strength to carry them forward.”
Contact Alex Weisler at weisler@forward.com
Intel yesterday announced that the company will cut 294 jobs from its Irish plant in Leixlip, County Kildare.
ZoomIntel has said that the job cuts are a result of the consolidation of two of its factories on the property which is situated just outside of the Irish capital, Dublin. The chip maker said that the cuts were a direct result of a decline in demand for older 200mm technologies.“The fact of the matter is the older 200mm technologies are coming to the end of their useful life and there aren’t that many customers left for those products. The key is repurposing ourselves; identifying a new transition path and winning new investment is vital,” an Intel spokesperson said, according to Silicon Republic.Intel has begun a three month consultation to determine which staff will be the first to go come October. The compulsory layoffs are the first for Intel Ireland following the company's request for 300 voluntary redundancies at the beginning of the year. Intel has invested more than $6 billion in its Irish facilities since it first set up shop in Ireland back in 1989.
Source : Tom's Hardware US
TWO-THIRDS of Irish people believe the worst of the economic crisis has yet to come with almost a quarter saying they are not confident of having a job in two years’ time.
These are two of the key findings of a new Eurobarometer survey on employment and the economic crisis, which highlights the prevailing pessimistic mood among the public.
The survey, which will be published by the European Commission today, shows that just 21 per cent of Irish people say the economic crisis has now reached its peak and things will start to recover.
In contrast, two thirds of respondents say that the worst is yet to come.
Almost a quarter of people, some 24 per cent, say they are not confident of having a job in two years time while 19 per cent say they are not confident of holding on to their jobs in the coming months.
This represents a major drop in confidence since the last major Eurobarometer survey on employment was conducted in June 2006 when just 5 per cent of Irish people said they were not confident of keeping their job in the coming months.
Across the EU the mood is marginally more optimistic with 28 per cent of Europeans saying they feel the crisis has reached its peak and things are recovering little by little. Some 18 per cent of EU respondents to the survey fear they won’t have a job in two years time.
Irish people hold a more positive view of the EU’s impact on employment and social affairs than other Europeans – a statistic that may have some bearing on the second referendum on the Lisbon Treaty in October.
Some 62 per cent of Irish people surveyed say what they see, read or hear about the union’s activities in the area of employment is positive, compared to an EU average of 52 per cent.
However, this represents a slight fall on the 65 per cent of people who told the 2006 Eurobarometer survey that the EU had a positive impact in the area of employment and social affairs. The number of people who view the EU as having a negative impact has jumped to 18 per cent, up from 9 per cent.
The survey also highlights a trend toward a more flexible workforce in the Republic with 82 per cent of people saying lifetime jobs are now “a thing of the past”. Some 86 per cent of people say work contracts should become more flexible to encourage job creation, which is significantly more than the European average at 73 per cent of people.
Irish people cited: increasing childcare facilities (85 per cent); increased care facilities for elderly people (81 per cent); regular training at work (87 per cent); and supporting people who want to start their own business (86 per cent) as some of the key ways to get more people into work and help them to stay in work longer in the survey.
Research for the Eurobarometer survey was conducted via 1,007 face-to-face interviews in Ireland in late May and early June this year.
Irish attitudes to economic crisis Two-thirds of Irish people believe the worst of the crisis is yet to come 24 per cent of Irish people are not confident of having a job in two years’ time 19 per cent are not confident of keeping their job in coming months 62 per cent view EU action in employment area as positive 18 per cent see EU action in employment area as negative Three-quarters of Irish people have not participated on a training course in last year 82 per cent say lifetime jobs are now a thing of the past 85 per cent say increasing childcare facilities is effective in increasing employment The Irish Times
