Abu Dhabi's Etihad Airways announces India, Pak flights

ABU DHABI, SEP 27: Etihad Airways, the national airline of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), announced Saturday the start of its service to India, its 11th destination in 10 months.

The airline now operates to Mumbai seven times a week and will soon announce flights to New Delhi and Karachi.

Etihad announced earlier this month it is to buy five Boeing 777-300 ER aircraft for $1.09 billion to be delivered next year.

The airline, which is targeting 16 destinations by the end of the year, already flies to London, Bangkok, Amman, Beirut, Colombo and Damascus, among other routes.

Introduced last November, it operates two wide-bodied Airbus A330-200 passenger jets as well as an A340-200. It plans to have 10 wide-bodied aircraft in the fleet by the end of 2005.

Etihad last month ordered 24 Airbus aircraft, including four of the super jumbo A380 models, four A340-600's and four A340-500's, and has taken an option on 12 additional planes for a total value of $7 billion.

The 500-million-dirham (136-million-dollar) capitalized airline is fully owned by the oil-rich government of Abu Dhabi, the largest of seven emirates making up the UAE federation. (AFP)

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Moderate Muslims call for regulatory body to train Imams

Moderate Muslims are now calling for the creation of a regulatory body to train prospective Imams. The court case in which a teacher was convicted of beating an 11-year-old pupil is being cited.

Those opposed to the current system, which allows to so-called "rookie clerics" to secure high-ranking positions in madrassas or mosques without teaching qualifications or any background checks, complain that many mosques are run "as if they are situated in the subcontinent".

It is alleged that bigotry and intractable traditionalism are responsible for such a state. The secrecy practised at some mosques is also said to be a problem. Another problem is that most Imams who come to over 1200 mosques in Britain are from abroad, so it is impossible to check their background or whether they have any criminal record.

There are allegations that some victims are intimidated by mosque councils. One man alleged that although he complained against his son being beaten up by an Imam he was frightened enough to put up a security camera at his house. He feared retribution.

The problem is that only a minority are Britain-born or are well-versed with the values of tolerance, most have come from societies still rigid in their beliefs. The Government has now introduced legislation that will force foreign clerics coming here to speak a good standard of English although they will not be required to pass any examination. This has support of many Muslims.

Dr Ghayasuddin Siddiqui, leader of the British Muslim Parliament, affirmed that many mosque schools were simply run by untrained activists or not very well educated elders. Lapses are likely to happen because of such uneducated people. (Hindusttan Times, UK)