POLICE

NZ GOING BACKWARD UNDER NATIONAL: Phil Goff

Bill English’s shocking claim that it is an advantage for Kiwi workers to be paid 30% less than Australians shows just how far out of touch he is.

Many New Zealanders are struggling to pay their bills because their wages aren’t rising. The cost of living is skyrocketing with prices for everyday basics like petrol, power, food and milk putting pressure on families. Many Kiwi workers are heading across the ditch to Australia looking for better paying jobs.

When National came to power, it promised to close the wage gap to encourage our workers to stay at home. But John Key and Bill English have not only thrown in the towel on that promise, they’ve even gone as far as suggesting we’re better off being a low wage economy! Explain that to the Kiwi workers who are grafting hard every day and taking home barely enough money to survive on. They won’t thank National for that attitude.

The statement is an indictment on this Government and its failure to grow our economy. National stands for a low wage economy and it is taking this country backwards.

Labour stands for a high-skill, high-wage, high-tech economy, where we invest in research and development and trade training. We can either be the cheapest or we can be the best.

I want to lead a country where we are the best.

'stop asset sales'

National wants to sell our assets that previous generations have worked hard to build up. Last time National sold our assets they were bought up by foreign buyers. Power prices rose and billions of dollars in profits went offshore.
Under Labour there will be no asset sales. Our plan is to build up our assets so they’re part of growing the economy, and part of providing a secure future for you and all Kiwi families.
On Monday night in Auckland I launched Labour's campaign to stop asset sales.
Over the coming weeks we'll be ramping things up with billboards, fliers, signage and online activities - including a few things we haven't tried before.
I'll keep you up to date as things progress but I'm writing today to offer you the chance to be part of the campaign by sponsoring a 'stop asset sales' sign and to ask you to show your support for the campaign online too.
If you want Kiwi assets to stay in Kiwi hands click here to make a secure online donation right now.
Your donation will be put to immediate use in printing stop asset sales 'stop signs' which are showing up nationwide (check out the photos here). They're a powerful way to spread the Stop Asset Sales message but we need your help to cover the country with them.
The signs cost $10 each to produce. Every extra one we have at our disposal is a great help to the campaign. Please consider sponsoring one or more by making a secure donation here.
If you support keeping Kiwi assets in Kiwi hands please also show your support on our Facebook page, make sure you follow the Stop Assets Sales campaign on Twitter and forward this email to a friend - these are highly effective (and free) ways of helping to spread this important Labour message.
Thanks again for getting behind the campaign to protect New Zealand's assets.
Kind regards,
Phil Goff
Labour Leader
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BAD people treat woman BADLY

Abusing women is un-Islamic: Saudi mufti

Grand Mufti Sheikh Abdul Aziz ibn Abdullah Al-Asheikh

JEDDAH: Grand Mufti Sheikh Abdul Aziz Al-Asheikh has strongly warned against maltreating women in any form and said this is totally against Islam.

In his Friday sermon at Imam Turki bin Abdullah Mosque in Riyadh, the mufti said only bad people treat women badly.

"The psychological or physical abuse of wives, daughters and sisters is against the Islamic Shariah and the Sunnah of the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh)," he said.

Al-Asheikh warned husbands and fathers who take the salaries of their wives and daughters that they are committing anti-Islamic acts.

"The fathers who make it a condition to have their daughters' salaries before they give their consent for marriage are equally wrong. Husbands who force their working wives to share in home expenses are committing erroneous acts. Islam made it the responsibility of the man to spend on the house," he told the worshippers.

The mufti also said it is haram (forbidden in Islam) when husbands ask their wives who request divorce to return the dowry before they consent to divorce. He also said burdening women with bank loans and letting them suffer the payment of installments is equally haram.

The mufti said polygamy, which is allowed by Islam under the condition of being just and fair, is not a loose right. "The first wife should have all her rights," he said.

He also warned against relying on matchmakers who draw a bright picture of the groom who may turn out in the end to be an unethical and irresponsible man.

"Matchmakers should convey a true picture of the groom and the bride," he said.

The mufti asked people to make the Prophet a role model in his treatment of women, citing a number of Hadiths that the Prophet never maltreated women.

"The Prophet was completely refined in the treatment of his wives, daughter and other Muslim women," he said.

The Prophet has said: "The best of you are the best to their wives; and I am the best to my wives."

The Ministry of Social Affairs has toll free telephone numbers in several cities and towns for women to report cases of violence against them.

‘SLASH AND BURN’

NATIONAL’S ‘SLASH AND BURN’ PLAN WILL HIT MIDDLE AND LOW INCOME KIWIS
The news that the Government is planning to axe even more jobs in the public service is further evidence that National’s only plan for this economy is to slash and burn.
We’ve heard Bill English and John Key blaming the Canterbury earthquake for the fact our economy is in trouble. That’s not true. The economy was going backwards under National long before the quake hit on February 22.
The Government is just using the disaster as an excuse to take the hatchet to programmes like Working for Families, Kiwisaver and interest-free student loans which they didn’t really support but promised before the election not to cut. That’s the absolute wrong approach to take. Why would you hammer middle and low income families in tough economic times, when they’re already struggling to pay the bills?
John Key claims he’ll only trim money from those at the top end who are receiving Working for Families. But to make any real savings, he would need to cut payments to couples where the combined household income is probably around $80,000 and that’s the equivalent of two people earning less than the average wage each, while supporting children. Why is he hammering middle New Zealand while he continues to hold on to tax cuts of $1000 a week to people on his income band?
If savings really have to be made, surely those on the top incomes who got huge windfall gains from October tax cuts could give some of that back. Clearly the economy couldn’t afford National’s tax cuts for the wealthy. If you want to get the economy going, helping middle and low income people struggling to make ends meet, not further cutting their incomes, would be a good place to start. As BERL economist Ganesh Nana says slash and burn will just push New Zealand further into recession.

MOSQUES IMAM SACKED

38 imams, muezzins sacked for slackness

By MUHAMMAD HUMAIDAN | ARAB NEWS

JEDDAH: The Madinah branch of the Ministry of Islamic Affairs, Endowments, Dawa and Guidance has suspended 38 imams and muezzins for sub-standard performance. They were accused of slackness and failure to do their duties properly.

Ministry sources told Arab News that investigations and reports from supervisors revealed the imams and muezzins did not do their jobs properly and others were appointed to do the work in their place. The sources said their salaries were also suspended.

According to the sources, there are 1,930 mosques in Madinah region, of which 505 hold Friday prayers.

The ministry’s Madinah branch also supervises 949 private mosques, of which 19 hold Friday prayers. It employs 1,417 imams, 1,354 muezzins and 625 workers who serve the mosques and clean them up.

The branch also supervises historic mosques in Madinah, including the Quba, Dhul Hulaifa, Al-Qiblatain, Al-Jumaa, Al-Anbariya, Al-Ghamamah, Al-Rayah, Abu Bakr, Omar bin Al-Khattab, Ali bin Abi Talib, Abu Dhar, Al-Ijabah, Al-Suqyyah, Bani Haram and Bani Quraizah mosques.

It also has a welfare society that collects donations for the construction and maintenance of mosques in various parts of the region.

PK flood relief

Please find the PK flood relief donation’s receipt and a letter attached for the community's attention and especially to satisfy those who did not contribute in this event, except spreading rumors and suspecting others good deeds and sincerity. Donations were counted on the spot (on Chand Ratt) by two very honest organizers in front of dozens of community members. Thanks to Sohni Dharti for keeping the community’s records straight, and providing a platform where hard working community workers can prove their honesty. Atiya Syed  

 

        Assalam-o-Alykum
Attached is a letter and receipt that I received from Pakistan Red Crescent Society.
Please note: on the event of Chand Raat we were able to raise NZD1300.00 and money were converted to USD before sending to Pakistan Red Crescent.
 
Regards
Atiya Syed

 

 

 

Attachment: aaa2.pdf