California Lockdown

The Hague

The Hague is a city on the western coast of the Netherlands on the North Sea  and the capital  of the of South Holland It is also the seat of government of the Netherlands and hosts the International  Court of Justice, one of the most important courts in the world.With a metropolitan population of more than 1 million, it is the third-largest city in the Netherlands, after Amsterdam  and Rotterdam. 

The Rotterdam@The Hague metropolitan area  with a population of approximately 2.7 million, is the 13th largest in the European Union  and the most populous in the country. Located in the west of the Netherlands, The Hague is in the centre of the Haaglanden Conurbation  and lies at the southwest corner of the larger Randstad Conurbation  conurbation.

.....And Dignity for All

This book outlines the story of a floor sweeper who became a corporate vice president at Caterpillar. It depicts his own personal transformation from a command-and-control boss to a leader with a vision and respect for his staff. And Dignity for All presents an account of how managers can make significant and enduring changes in an organization while enabling them to take their own journeys as leaders. James (Jim) Despain became General Manager of Track-Type Tractors Division in East Peoria, Illinois, USA, one of the country’s largest manufacturing facilities. The co-author, Jane Bodman Converse, was the communications player on Jim’s culture-change team. Together, they are now partners in a consulting company that helps others create cultures of achievement.A major thesis of the book is to be authentic to oneself as a leader. It is reminiscent of Joseph Jaworski’s Synchronicity: The Inner Path of Leadership (San Francisco: Berrett-Koehler Publishers, 1996), in that the lessons of leadership are often found in one’s own honest efforts to add value to the workforce and the business. The authors devote a lot of energy to setting the scene on the formation of Despain’s values in childhood and his early working life.  The influence of his father who was a coal-miner is significant. When Jim Despain annoyed the family dog and it then bit a friend, his father shot the dog. The lessons were: break the rules, pay the price; protect and defend your family, no matter what the sacrifice.

Beautiful Switzerland

`Indeed, in the creation of the heavens and the earth, alternating night and day, the ark that sailed on the sea brought what was useful to man, and what Allah brought down from heaven was water, and with that water He revived the earth after his (dry) death and He spreads out on the earth all kinds of animals, and the movement of wind and clouds that govern between heaven and earth; indeed (there are) signs (of Allah's greatness and greatness) for the people who think'. Al Imran : 190

What is maqasid al-shariah?

Maqasiid al-shariah is the branch of Islamic knowledge that answers all the challenging questions of ‘why’ on various levels, such as the following questions:
1. Why is giving charity (zakah) one of Islam’s principle ‘pillars’?
2. Why is it an Islamic obligation to be good to your neighbors?
3. Why do Muslims greet people with salam (peace)?
4. Why do Muslims have to pray several times every day?
5. Why is fasting during the month of Ramadan one of Islam’s principle ‘pillars’?
6. Why do Muslims mention the name of God all the time?
7. Why is drinking any amount of alcohol a major sin in Islam?
8. Why is smoking weed, for example, as prohibited as drinking alcohol in Islam?
9. Why is the death penalty a (maximum) punishment in the Islamic law for rape or genocide?

Maqasid al-shariah explain the ‘wisdoms behind rulings,’ such as ‘enhancing social cohesion,’ which is one of the wisdoms behind charity, being good to one’s neighbors, and greeting people with peace. Wisdoms behind rulings also include ‘developing consciousness of God,’ which is one of the rationales behind regular prayers, fasting, and supplications.

Maqasid are also good ends that the laws aim to achieve by blocking, or opening, certain means. Thus, the maqasid of ‘preserving the minds and souls of people’ explain the total and strict Islamic ban on alcohol and intoxicants, and the maqasid of ‘protecting people’s property and honor’ explain the Qur’an’s mentioning of a ‘death penalty’ as a (possible) punishment for rape or genocide (interpretations of verses 2:178 and 5:33, according to a number of schools of Islamic law). Maqasid are also the group of divine intents and moral concepts upon which the Islamic law is based, such as justice, human dignity, free will, magnanimity, chastity, facilitation, and social cooperation. Thus, they represent the link between the Islamic law and today’s notions of human rights, development, and civility, and could answer some other type of questions, such as:

1. What is the best methodology for re-reading and re-interpreting the Islamic scripture in light of today’s realities?
2. What is the Islamic concept of ‘freedom’ and ‘justice’?
3. What is the link between today’s notions of human rights and Islamic law?
4. How can Islamic law contribute to ‘development,’ morality, and ‘civility’?