Canada Immigration Express Entry

Express Entry applicants receive an invitation to apply (ITA) based on their score under the Comprehensive Ranking System (“CRS”).

As of September 6, 2017, IRCC had issued a total of 71 rounds of ITAs under Express Entry.  A summary of these rounds appears below:

• In Round #1 (January 31, 2015), IRCC issued 779 ITAs.  Applicants in this round were required to receive at least 886 CRS points.
• In Round #2 (February 7, 2015), IRCC issued 779 ITAs.  Applicants in this round were required to receive at least 818 CRS points.
• In Round #70 (August 23, 2017), IRCC issued 3,035 ITAs.  Applicants in this round were required to receive at least 434 CRS points.
• In Round #71 (September 6, 2017), IRCC issued 2.772 ITAs.  Applicants in this round were required to receive at least 435 CRS points.

The CRS score during Round #65 was 413, the lowest level since Express Entry first began on January 1, 2015.  The model is affordable for many average applicants.

Source: http://www.blaney.com/articles/update-on-express-entry-8

The American Muslim Millennials (Technology vs. Religion)

Millennials are the least religious human generation since the days of Adam and Eve. According to a Pew Research report in 2014, it seems that one of every three people on earth of this generation prefers not to affiliate with any faith. Only 10% of them are still looking for the universal truth. 

However, other sociologists think that this generation does not give up their spiritual feelings but tend to reject the Conventional approach (Robert Putnam and David Campbell). The study of 100 urban Millennials has shown that they are not “the spiritual consumers of their parents’ generation, rather they are seeking both a deep spiritual experience and a community experience, each of which provides them with meaning in their lives, and is meaningless without the other.” Hence, they are actively looking for certain level of creed under which they can not lead a meaningful life (The Embodied Spirituality of the Post-Boomer Generations).  

Who are the Millennials? Choose your own adventure.

• This generation might be considered a the "Generation of the Internet". They are in their early adulthood at the moment (18-34 years of age now in 2015). 
• Almost all of them do not remember well how was the life before the internet
• They do not acknowledge the "American Dream" anymore. They were all in their teen years when the Twin Towers went down. They lived through the greatest financial crisis in 2008 and they do not trust their parents' stories about the importance of having a system to live by.

Millennials believe in value-led governments, sustainable organizations, and quickly measurable results. They are more individualistic than generation X, Y or their parents. You can see them looking into their smart phones almost everywhere. Try to ride on the metro and look around for any face to smile to. Almost none !!! 

What kind of social life will exist 10 years from now? Can you greet your neighbours? 

It 2015, it is much easier to send a txt message to a younger fellow than calling her/him or meet face to face. Virtual interconnectivity offers more confort to our younger fellows and kids. They prefers sending a quick email without any greetings or formality than coming to shake a hand and show a confident smile. They might prefer to donate via paypal to a stranger than offering a meal to a next door neighbor.  

Kathleen Shaputis, a prominent American sociologist, prefers another title for this generation: The Boomerang generation or the Peter Pan generation because they want to delay growing up as much as they can. They like to live longer with their parents as well instead of jumping out as soon as possible as with Generation X and generation Y.

So? What does it mean?

It means a lot. How can we keep a strong communications channel with our future generations? How to harness the power of technology to keep close to them and motivate them to maintain a good level of engagement in order to keep the humane community experience alive in front of their eyes?

Tolerance in 2015. Montreal and the Federal Elections

The last Canadian federal elections (#elxn42) has brought the issue of Canadian multiculturalism to the fore front again. Some parties used negative media to portray a Muslim tiny minority as a threat to the general public. This sign (#Niqab) has been used as a weapon by the Conservative Party of canada (#CPC), and was also used as a mercy pill for #NDP during the elections (#elxn42). The party that was defending the freedoms of all Canadians lost a major electoral share because it preferred to advance the constitutional freedoms above all political agendas. 

Why Tolerance is rare those days?

North American cosmopolitan cities are the melting pot of the world. They attract immigrants from all countries and all cultures. The multiculturalism of this continent comes with struggles for both majority populations as well as visible minorities, especially when not treated with #tolerance and understanding where cultural differences and traditions are concerned. Montreal has been a hot bed for intolerance during the past few years. Although, the city is still one of the best multicultural hubs to live and enjoy life within its folds.

Tolerance is very important in a multicultural society such as ours in Montreal or in North America in general. New immigrants (or older immigrants even the whites who came few centuries earlier) enter this society and have been surprised by the difficulty to integrate in this highly mosaic culture that is so unique and different from any other human culture on earth. This task alone is stressful and leaves immigrants feeling homesick and lost in this foreign panoramic puzzle. I envy the aboriginals for their patience with all those waves of new comers since the 16th century.

What makes it even harder is the negative attitude of some who treat every new comer as an outsider with certain level of disrespect sometimes just because of their cultural differences.

However, the society in general is still tolerant and favor multiculturalism. In that, people do still accept the cultural differences and welcome their integration instead of opposing them. For example, some visible minorities dress differently than the average Montrealer. A tolerant view would help a person to accept these differences and even motivate her/him to learn more about this new other culture. On the other hand, an intolerant view would come from a person who gawked at the differences in clothing, even poking fun or performing an equally humiliating gesture toward the immigrant, new comer, aboriginal person or even another (so called) "de souche". 

By accepting the differences of others, our country thrive and prosper. Canadians punished Harper's game with the Niqab. It truly reflects the entrenched values of Canadians who accept each other and are willing to work together to save the country. The Niqab dillema will not solve an economical crisis. It can hide the impact of bad politics and can advance hatred.

The "so called" land of the free was developed way in the snowy North as an outlet for people to escape when faced with religious or cultural persecution in their native lands. Montrealers, Canadians and North Americans in general, have embraced these differences and built their society on such tolerant values. Without such values, Canada will not be the Canada we know today. Accepting people regardless of their ethnic background is crucial because it is an inalienable right given to each of us as citizens. Each culture gives something to this unique society, which makes it better as it becomes more diverse.

On the other hand, new immigrants and new comers who enjoy the constitutional rights of being free to live the way they like need to do their part as well. The world is moving towards a more conservative point of view in which the terrifying feeling of terrorism is restricting tolerance level. In addition, the harsh economical cycles are pushing people to their nerves. One needs to give, contribute, integrate and support in order to protect the collective well being of the society and to advance the remaining tolerance and acceptance levels within the society.

There is a common cliché that says "variety is the spice of life". We have a spicy city (too spicy in some corners where the Curry did already overcome the smell of Poutine). We are living at the end of the boomers era. All the respect for those who have built this society and brought it to the current level that we enjoy.

We are different but have all the same common goal. Live, enjoy and let others live.

The Importance of interfaith Dialogue in North America

The United States of America was formed as a nation to be different from the predominantly European countries from which its founders came. One principle of the United States was to not have a state creed per se, but rather a plurality of creeds and freedom to choose whatever creed one chooses. Thanks to the freedom of creed in America, there are a number of creeds and philosophical practices throughout the U.S. There is solid interfaith dialogue in many bigger cities and metropolitan areas, but some areas can use better interrelations. Even for the areas with better inter faith relations, there is always room for improvement.

First, a breakdown of the creeds in America. Christianity, or Christian denominations, are the most prevalent faith in each and every state. (For example, in the South, Baptism is most popular; the Catholic church on the coasts; and Mormonism in Utah and surrounding regions). Things start to get more interesting when talking about the second most popular creed. Per the Washington Post, Islam is America's largest non-Christian-- or overall, second largest-- creed with it being the second biggest faith in 20 states. Judaism is the second largest creed in 15 states. Buddhism is the largest non-Christian creed in 13, primarily western, states.


West of Canada was built similarly. Quebec is an exception because it was an extension of the European Church state then it becomes a striking example of the French secularist state that rejected all aspects of religions (Except some). Yet, Quebec kept moving steadily towards a military secularist system in which the state started dictating what people can think of or believe in during the past few years. Although the majority of USA and Canada citizens are Christian in some form, other religious groups are growing. For example, in 2011, it was estimated that the amount of Muslims in the United States would double by 2030 (similar Canadian statistics are present).

It is ideal to have Muslims who attend mosques and members of these burgeoning faiths integrate in a predominantly Christian society. Many Christians would be surprised to see how much Islam has in common with traditional Christianity. Imagine having a nation built on inter faith principles. How natural and humane will that be?

Probably the best way to promote inter-faith is by simply being open-minded and discussing creeds without imposing it upon others. Don't fear sharing your own beliefs, and why you feel as you do. Meanwhile, while you can give your own interpretation of the writings of your domination, do not force them upon others. Everyone will understand a religious text differently, hence the many different sects within any given creed.

Christianity, on the one hand, has a much richer set of interpretations that are somehow distant from the original text. Islam is a great example of a creed that has a limited set of interpretations that are all based on the original preserved text (verbatim). A lot of efforts has been done in USA and Canada to offer the original text of Islam without much interpretations. After all, people need to know the original text that Allah (GOD) has revealed without the human understanding of the sacred text.

Remember that just like different creeds or sects have their own interpretations of scripture, so do specific individuals. Be aware of different methods in which you can apply inter-faith dialogue; a popular one is called SR, or scriptural reasoning.

Ultimately, inter-faith relations are imperative to have because they more concretely make you faithful, and they allow you to reconcile the differences between different creeds. You will likely find that the fundamental texts of your creed aren't that different from those of the other neighbors, colleagues, acquaintances or friends.

Many in this day and age will get married to a person of another creed. In fact, Fox News found in July 2010 through a representative sample of 2,500 individuals that 42% of marriages in the United States are of an inter faith variety. Interestingly enough, Jews are most likely to marry out of faith, while Mormons are least likely. Muslims are in between. Couples in inter-faith marriages are apparently less happy than those in same-faith marriages, which is evidenced by a higher divorce rate. Inter-faith marriages are much more common amongst older people, and many spouses will actually convert to their partner's creed over a period of time. Perhaps most promising in terms of inter faith relations, marrying a person of a different creed will cause you to feel more positively about that creed over time. Based on my personal experience, I have seen hundreds of Muslims in Montreal marrying to non Muslim ladies. I have witnessed marriages between Muslim ladies as well and non Muslim fellows but a small minority due to restrictions of marriage to non Muslims.

It should also be mentioned that inter-faith measures incorporate all philosophies, not just religions. So, if one has a spiritual or humanistic philosophy that doesn't traditionally fall into the definition of a religion, their beliefs should still be recognized and respected in interfaith dialogue. Examples of secular philosophies include practices such as humanism.

Inter-faith dialogue has been around for many centuries, but it still has plenty of room to grow. All religions have fanatics who believe that those of other faiths should be terminated (physically or socially) because they don't hold the same faith is evidence of such. Don't think that the problem of poor inter-faith relations is due to any one creed, however; all of us need to improve.

I have learned in Montreal that it is worth it to put the time and efforts to actually become familiar with other religious and philosophical texts, and seek to meet people who have a different value system or a different belief. Our minds and tolerance will grow exponentially.

Being open to learning and exchanging will add value to one's belief system and enhance our understanding of the purpose of life, what will come after life, how humans need to treat each other, where to seek knowledge, how to seek knowledge, and how to lead a civilized talk with our human fellows.

The more open you are, the better in terms of interfaith relations. After all, what's the worst thing that can happen from engaging in inter faith dialogue and research? You don't agree with what you're presented? The pros far outweigh the cons.

Be open and good luck!

   

Ramadan 2015 in Canada

The great month is coming quickly. I still remember the first Ramadan I spent in Montreal away of my family in Lebanon. It was so harsh and so tough. Without the company I had during the Concordia MSA 2004 Iftar, it would have been much harder.

http://almadinah-center.org/en/ramadan-2015/

Ten years passed and 11 Ramadan in this country. I still love to get inspired by the pious crowd gathering to break their fast. They come from all four corners of the world to this lovely city called Montreal. They come from all corners of Montreal to the center of the city (where Al-Madinah center is) to share their meals together.

Every day, when I break my bread with someone else, I feel the joy of being able to celebrate the blessings of that day and to know a new Canadian fellow.

Islamic Finance in Canada (or Islamic Mortgages)

A lot of Muslims on the Turtle Island are looking for alternative financing options to acquire their dream houses. A lot of COOP are offering this service in Montreal, Toronto and others. COOP are covering some of the demand and they are doing welll so far. However, the COOP model has its own disadvantages also:

1. High down-payment (25% -30%)
2. Short amortization period (up to 15 years)
3. High rent (7.5% fixed for 15 years). This one looks high but it is about 1.5% above the banks rate in most cases 
4. Low financing capacity. COOP finance small houses up to $250,000 or $300,000 in most cases out of which the tenant will be paying about 30% 
5. Long waiting queue. This is natural because one ouf ot every 5 customers can buy a house at a time. So this means, for every bought house, there are 4 other people waiting in line. Hence, 80% of all COOP members would be waiting in line for the repayment of the 20% who already bought houses. Without external finances, the COOP model can not survive.
6. Rigid regulations and low customer service
7. Low customer satisfaction 
8. Low growth potential. 
9. Low attractiveness for investors. Few people are willing to invest for long term at the rate of 5% under the current scheme. A lot of work is needed on the trust and credibility side. 

However, this option is much better than the TRUST Camouflage model. A lot of companies (or mortgage brokers) are playing on this option to offer a halal service (knowing that it is nothing of halal). Under this scheme, the service provider would clients the following:

1. The client-tenant Establish a trust and grant the broker to be a co-trustee
2. The broker will get a mortgage deal form a bank for the client
3. The client sign the mortgage with the bank (And you say it is Sharia compliant !!!)
4. The client pays rent to the TRUST (himself/herself and the broker)
5. The TRUST will pay this rent as interest to the bank (Awful scenario indeed)
6. The TRUST would charge the trustee to pay a fees (someone paying his own trustee)
7. The TRUST would charge the client for the contract !

One can see directly that this is not really a viable financing opiton and it is not sharia compliant at all. There are serveal companies offering this financial service in Canada: Ijara Canada, Ijara Mortgage Broker, My Ijara Canada ...

In fact, those companies are trying to offer a good service (from their point of view). However, it is not really sharia compliant and it does not offer a good alternative for Islamic mortgage for Canadians. I am afraid that they know the invalidity of this option and still going for it. This would a major mistake towards the Muslim community in Canada as a whole. 

Sharia Compliant Investment: Pass or No Pass

Si quelqu’un a un investissement dans un secteur qui etait classifie comme Sharia compliant, il y a deux méthodes pour s'assurer que cet investissement est VRAIMENT sharia compliant:

1. La compagnie d'investissement a un Conseil de Sharia pour la compagnie elle même et qui a le pouvoir d'examiner tous les investissement directement (ce n'est pas établie dans 95% des petites compagnies. C'est seulement les grandes banques qui ont ce conseil
2. La compagnie d'investissement offrent aux tous les clients un rapport trimestre qui detailes les comptes de chaque investisseur. Ce rapport doit inclure:
1. La liste des compagnies ou la capitale de l'investisseur était investi durant les dernier 3 mois (tous les compagnies peuvent générer ce rapport par un clic de la sourie
2. Le pourcentage de la capitale investie dans chaque compagnie
3. Le profit réalisé pour chaque compagnie et le profit partiel pour l'investisseur de cette companie
4. Un rapport preuve pour la compagnie qui démontre que la compagnie était sharia compliant durant la période de l'investissement. Le rapport doit exactement démontrer que la compagnies passes tous les testes (example: https://ir-iphone.s3.amazonaws.com/056801.pdf)

Je sais que l'explication est un peu obscure pour la plupart entre nous. Alors j'ajoute un exemple.

Example Ahmad aime faire un investissement de $10,000 CAD dans une compagnie d'investissement (sharia compliant) CIE. Avec d'accepter les messages marketing de CIE, Ahmad doit faire le suivant:

1. Assurer que CIE présente un preuve de son compliance. Présenter les conditions de Dow Jones Islamic Index n'est pas suffisant. CIE peut présenter un document qui était fait par un sharia scholar pour la compagnie elle même (dans les dernières 3 années) ou CIE doit faire une référence a une groupe des scholars qui ont la crédibilité et qu'ils démontrent en groupe que CIE est acceptable.
2. Ahmad doit demander a CIE de présenter tous les conditions de l'investissement:
1. Combien est le taux de service annuelle (pour la majorité des compagnies c'est entre 1% et 1.5%)
2. Combien est le taux de service pour le conseiller financier (s'il y a lieu)
3. Combien de temps dans un trimestre l'investissement sera examine pour s'assurer qu'il est toujours sharia compliant. L'investissement peut etre sharia compliant aujourd'hui mais pas demain. Cet exercice sera fait une fois par mois au moins
   
4. Quelle est la pénalité pour finir affaire avec CIE. Pour un investissement halal, ça doit être ZERO (avec des certain conditions). S'il y a un autre taux déclare clairement, et le client accepte, c'est acceptable mais ce montant ne doit pas dépasser le taux de service trimestrielle (parce que tous les investissement sont trimestrielle et chaque client peut finir affaire avec les fonds et le compagnie dans 3 moins au plus). Alors un taux déclaré de 0.3 - 0.5% comme pénalité est accepte. Si c'est plus que 0.5%, c'est pas acceptable.
   
5. Quelle est la fréquence des rapport (trimestrielle au mois) et quelle est la dégrée de transparence dans ces rapports. Les rapport pour les investissement islamique sont reglee par l'AAOIFI standards (un autre exemple: https://ir-iphone.s3.amazonaws.com/CEC901.pdf)
3. Ahmad a le droit de savoir la distribution de sa capitale et dans quel compagnies ou fonds. L’investissent doit changer avec le temps, mais Ahmad a toujours le droit a chaque point de savoir la nouvelle distribution s'il ya lieu (d'habitude, le changement est fait une ou deux fois max par trimestre).   
4. Si la capitale est met dans une fond (fund) et cette fund est gere sans aucun sharia-compliance, alors l'investissement est très douteux d'un point de vue islamique. La fonds elle même doit générer les rapport qui preuve sa validité. Il n'y a aucune fund qui fait ca a Canada (je pense). Dans 'EU, il y a plusieurs (IMANX ou AMANX). Example: http://www.google.ca/finance?client=ob&q=MUTF:IMANX
5. Quand Ahmad recoit le rapport trimestre de son conseiller financier, Ahmad peut ré-calculer son profit lui même

• Companie	Compliance	Pourcentage	Montant	Profit	Profit partiel
  A	PASS	25.00%	$2,500.00	-1.50%	-0.375%
  B	PASS	35.00%	$3,500.00	6%	2.100%
  C	PASS	25.00%	$2,500.00	5%	1.250%
  D	PASS	10.00%	$1,000.00	-5%	-0.500%
  E	PASS	5.00%	$500.00	8%	0.375%
  Total		100.00%	$10,000.00		2.850%

Alors comme tu vois dans le tableau, chaque comapnie doit etre PASS (en rouge). Le profit est simplement calcule. Alors pour un trimestre comme ca, Ahmad doit avoir le profit de 2.85% mois le taux de service par trimestre (0.5% par exemple). Alors son profit net pour le trimestre est 2.35% ou $235 pour le trimestre 

Si le rapport trimestre n'inclus pas ces information, l'investissement est douteux et on a le droit (selon les lois canadiennes et Américaines) de demander plus d'information. Si les conditions ne sont pas toujours établis, on a le droit d'aller a l'ombudsman des banques et service financiers pour récupérer nos argents).

Si l'investissement est dans les fonds (70% des cas pour les petit investisseurs, Ahmad doit reçoit le même tableau en haut) mais pour les fonds. Après ça, c'est le travail de conseiller financier de démontrer que la fonds est compliant (faire une preuve concret sur le site Morning Star pour démontrer l'allocation des fonds comme sur cette page: http://portfolios.morningstar.com/fund/summary?t=IMANX&region=USA&culture=en-us). AVIS: La plupart des fonds qui sont classifiée Sharia compliant ne passent toujours.

Par exemple. ce fonds (http://quote.morningstar.ca/QuickTakes/fund/PortfolioOverview.aspx?t=F0CAN05PAW&region=CAN&culture=en-CA) ne passent pas deux testes: Il y a 22.2% de cash (ou ce cash est investi???) et 12.5% de fixed income (Riba) dans le portfolio. 65.3% dans catégorie (Autres). Alors c'est très douteux. C'est le travail d'Ahmad et son conseiller de voir tous les détails avant d’être satisfait avec le profit.

Investissement Halal ou non?

Je n'aime pas participer dans les longues discussions sur la validité des investissent d'un point de vue islamique. Mais de temps en temps, on peut voir des débats qui commencent positivement et virent après (c'etait sur un mailing list pour des musulmans a Montréal).

Pour le sujet d'investissement islamique, il y a certains conditions nécessaires pour pouvoir coincer un terme halal ou haram. Ces conditions sont surtout islamiques avec des autres conditions relies au marche (3orf).

Alors pour Investors Group ou autres, pour etre sur que c'est halal, c'est la responsabilité du fournisseur de donner les preuves. Par exemple, on dit que Tim Hortons a fait 8% du profit dans 2010. N’importe quel person doit être capable de calculer ce profit et s'assurer que Tim Hortons a fait ce profit. Si, Tim Hortons essaye de cacher le vraie profit, chaque investisseur peut calculer ce profit lui même. C'est la beauté de la transparence financière au Amérique du Nord.

Pour les fonds, l'histoire est un peu plus compliqué. Chaque fond mutuel a son rapport financier regulier qui donne tous les détails opérationnels et financières du fond. Par exemple, ce fond Investor Group Real Estate (http://quote.morningstar.ca/quicktakes/fund/f_ca.aspx?t=F0CAN05PAW&region=can&culture=en-CA). Ce page vous donne tous les information qu'un investisseur a besoin pour comprendre ou son argent est investi.

Pour les musulman qui font affaires avec IG, ce fond peut représenter une bonne tranche de leur portfolio avec des autres (pharma, infrastructure globale, énergie ...). Chaque investisseur a le droit de savoir ou est son argent (dans quel fonds et le proportions). Au fin de l'année ou au fin du trimestre, vous avez le droit de recevoir un bilan avec tous ces information, et le profit réalise.

Alors, pour chaque investisseur, c'est votre responsabilité de chercher le halal ou le haram ou c'est la responsabilité de votre consultant financier. S'il y a des problèmes, c'est la responsabilité de l'investisseur seulement parce que de temps en temps on voit des consultant qui font des cache cache.

Très simplement, pour chacun qui demande la preuve, veuillez demander la structure de votre investissement (fonds, pourcentage, et profit total). Vous aves l'option de comparer ces résultats avec les résultats publique des fonds. S'il y a des différences, c'est le travail de votre consultant d'expliquer parce que ces gens vous chargent 2% de votre capital chaque année. Si vous avez les réponses et vous êtes satisfaite, Hamdulilah et bonne chance. Si vous n'avez pas satisfaite, vous avez les régulations Canadiennes pour corriger la situation.

Les meilleurs question qu'on doit demander au consultant:

1. Quelles sont les fonds ou ma capital est investi (dans le cas de IG, c'est toujours un fond mutuel IG)
2. Comment est le profit calculer. C'est le devoir du consultant de lier le profit total au profit partiel de chaque fond.
3. Ou arrive le profit de chaque fond (c'est publique sur Morning star).
4. Qui est en charge de vérifier si l'investissement est toujours accepter islamique-ment et a quel fréquence?
5. Quelles sont les mesures et les garanties que tout le profit de votre capital est paye pour toi (moins les 2%). Quelles sont les mesure de transparence?

Pardon pour un courriel aussi long et j’espère q'Allah nous donne le courage et la patience et la tolérance.

3 hours of censorship in Canada (No Free Speech until 10 pm EST)

Can you immagine this in Canada? Weird right?

Until a few minutes ago, this site was home to a conversation about the role of social media in Canadian elections. It was set up to aggregate the tweets (messages posted to Twitter) that include the hashtag #tweettheresults. That's how people across Canada and around the world have been tagging their reflections on Section 329 of Canada's Elections Act, which severely restricts the transmission of voting results until all polling stations have closed. We hoped that this site would provoke a conversation about Section 329, and raise the profile of the issue across Canada. We think it's done that, both on the social web and in the mainstream media.
But that conversation became illegal at 7 pm EST this evening. Rather than face a potential fine or protracted legal battle, we have taken this site offline for 3 hours. When free speech returns to Canada at 10 pm EST, the site will be back online and you will be able to read all the tweets that have accumulated in the interim.

If you tweet about this situation, please use the hashtag #tweettheresults so it will appear here.
To follow the conversation while this Canadian site is offline, you can still view all the latest tweets by searching for #tweettheresults on Twitter.

We never imagined a day when Canadians would have to use a foreign website to participate in a conversation about our own country. We never imagined that we, Canadian citizens, would potentially face legal penalties for our role in supporting an online conversation. We hope that all Canadians who have exercised their voice at the polls today will reclaim those voices online by asking the next government to bring our Elections Act into the 21st century.

Exemple d'application pratique (Finance Islamique) KingoRoute (Companie aleatoire)

Kingoroute a deux choix pour le levé de fond. D’un cote tous les investisseurs peuvent être des actionnaires. S’il y a des petits investisseurs, ils peuvent acheter des sukuk de murabaha sans être des copropriétaires — avec d'autres actionnaires — de la totalité de cette SPV.

En tous cas, cette opération a besoin de deux entités corporatives pour être halal parce que les ressources doit échanger les mains. En Islam, le transfert de fonds seulement est considéré comme un prêt. Les deux corporations sont :

1. Véhicule à usage spécial (or SPV) : KingFinance
2. La société : Kingoroute

Dans cette proposition, on peut trouver les détails des ces deux opérations.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B_kFWLJYXE9_MmRiYWszckRTQTg/view?usp=sharing

Skilled labour rules may be loosened

By DAVID AKIN
December 15, 2008

The federal government is changing a key immigration rule it says will help Canadian companies more easily find skilled foreign labour.
Ottawa is announcing today that such skilled professionals as engineers, accountants or professors from the U.S. or Mexico will be able to get three-year long work permits instead of one-year permits.
"We are trying to get all the skilled people we can to Canada quickly," Citizenship and Immigration Minister Jason Kenney said in a telephone interview from Vancouver. "The last thing we want is to strangle a Canadian company that's ready to grow because of a shortage of labour."
Canada grants about 5,150 such permits every year. Most, about 5,000, are for Americans coming to work in Canada and the rest are for Mexicans coming to work here.
"I talk to employers all the time who do not get even one job application when they put a help wanted ad in the newspaper," Kenney said. "Even though we are going into a period of economic difficulty, we continue to have a number of skilled labour shortages in certain areas of the economy."
Kenney said granting work permits in three-year increments will help Canadian companies because employers will be able to count on a skilled import to complete a project. The government says this makes Canadian companies more competitive and can help lower costs.
"This is about less paperwork, less red tape and less waiting time," Kenney said.
The Canadian rule change follows a similar one made in October by U.S. authorities that allow Canadian engineers, computer scientists and other professionals to obtain three-year work permits in the U.S. Mexico is also considering such a change.

Ramadan 2008 in Montreal

The MCM moonsighting committee is pleased to announce that the first of Ramadan, 1429, is Monday, September 1st, 2008, according to the agreed upon Moonsighting Criteria, and abased on credible moonsightings in many places around the world.

The Muslim Council of Montreal would like to take this opportunity to wish you all a blessed Ramadan and may Allah grant you the success in this world and the hereafter. Fasting is an act of obedience and submission to Allah the Almighty. In addition, fasting promotes the spirit of unity and belonging within the Muslim Ummah, the spirit of human equality, the spirit of charity and sympathy, and it calls for Islamic Sociability.

Muslims in Montreal are urged to invite others, muslims and non muslims, to break the fast with them at sunset and to gather for Qur'anic study, prayer and visits. This provides a better chance for socialization in a brotherly and spiritual atmosphere. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) indicated on more than one occasion that inviting a fasting person to break his fast (after sunset) is an act which is highly rewarded by Allah the Almighty.

Please do not forget our brothers and sisters in unfortunate areas around the world. They are suffering in Palestine, Iraq, etc.. and they might not find the joy of fasting as we do. May you please ask Allah the Almighty to alleviate their distress and shower them with his blessings.

Muslim Council of Montreal

Islamic financial services in Canada: Recent developments and long-term prospects

Stuart Carruthers  (http://www.stikeman.com/cps/rde/xchg/se-en/hs.xsl/11424.htm)


As in many Western nations, the awareness and availability of Islamic financial services in Canada continue to grow, although still at a relatively modest rate.  While some limited Shari'ah-compliant products are currently available, there has been limited activity to date, and no major financial institution yet offers a meaningful suite of Islamic financial products or services.  However, given the burgeoning Islamic population in Canada, the growing potential for Islamic financial services in Canada is being carefully followed by Canadian financial institutions, regulators, government agencies, professional advisors and media outlets. For additional background on Islamic finance, please see Stikeman Elliott's Financial Services Updates of April 2007 and January 2008. 


Much like in the United Kingdom, Canada's Muslim population has experienced significant recent growth - from an estimated 253,000 in 1991 to between 800,000 and 1,000,000 in 2006.  By 2017, Muslim Canadians are expected to comprise from 3.7% to 4.9% of the Canadian population.  Moreover, the Muslim population, which is younger and more educated than the overall population, is concentrated in Canada's largest cities.  Consequently, there is expected to be increased demand for Islamic financial services in Canada in the coming years, potentially providing a tremendous opportunity for financial firms prepared to serve this growing community.

The Canadian financial and economic environment

A number of other factors may also support the growth of Islamic finance in Canada in the longer term. Canada continues to enjoy a relatively stable economic and political environment and has generally avoided the level of turmoil currently being experienced in the United States with respect to subprime lending and restricted credit availability issues. Further, a world-class regulator, the federal Office of the Superintendent of Financial Institutions (Canada) (OSFI), regulates the solvency of most of the larger financial institutions, including the large banks and life insurance groups, while also regulating the market conduct of the large banks. Canada also benefits from a strongly multicultural and tolerant society, a rapidly appreciating currency, robust regulatory and legal systems, a neutral and balanced foreign policy and favourable tax treaties with certain Gulf states.

Activity to date

Despite significant recent media coverage of issues related to Islamic financial services in Canada, there has been limited meaningful activity to date.  As previously widely reported, an Ontario-based Islamic mortgage provider, UM Financial, has been indicating for some time that it expects to launch a suite of products in collaboration with a major Canadian financial institution. No further announcements in this regard, however, have recently been made.  One of the large banks offers Shari'ah-linked notes through its private banking division and in 2004 offered a similar retail investment product through its branches.  The Co-operators mutual insurance group, meanwhile, offers certain limited Islamic insurance products, and Islamic mutual funds have also been sold across Canada.  Many of the products, however, have been short-lived, including a group of funds, offered through a leading mutual fund group, which were discontinued in 2006 with only C$6.1 million in assets under management.
Overall, participation in the Islamic financial services sector is still rather peripheral and limited, and no major financial institution is currently offering a meaningful package of Islamic financial services.  It is suspected that the current significant credit crunch and subprime mortgage exposures, although not as significant an issue in Canada as in the United States, are currently more pressing priorities for the larger Canadian financial institutions.
A number of applications have recently been made to OSFI, however, for newly-incorporated Canadian banks offering Islamic financial services.  While some of the applications are understood to be quite far advanced, they appear to be on hold pending the response of a federal multi-agency task force established last year to consider issues related to Islamic finance in the Canadian financial services marketplace.  Interestingly, earlier this year, the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation, a federal Canadian crown corporation, also turned its attention to the issue of Islamic finance in the Canadian marketplace, issuing a Request for Proposal for a research report on the subject. As previously widely reported, the request generated some controversy and resulting media coverage, with UM Financial and others supporting the exercise and at least one other Islamic group in Canada criticizing the exercise.

Prospects for the future

Canada is still a number of steps behind the United Kingdom, where Islamic finance is in turn still growing slowly.  Major developments in Canada are likely some time away, although, as noted above, the demographic prospects are excellent.  The same structural issues are present in Canada as were identified in the U.K. by the Financial Services Authority's November 2007 discussion paper respecting developments in Islamic finance in that country.  While there is significant interest from a wide variety of stakeholders, the eventual products will need to be extremely competitive in order to achieve wide distribution in the Canadian marketplace. 
Future activity will likely include one or more of the major international financial institutions with Islamic windows offering retail home finance products in Canada, credit unions and mid-size banks offering home finance products in Canada, major existing Canadian banks breaking into the retail market, and, in the longer term, one or more newly-established Canadian Islamic banks.

Why Gideas web development is unique?

A website is not a program and some content only. It is the first impression clients have with the company and might be their last sometimes.

This is why Gideas selected a special business model for its web artwork. Gideas delivers a solution rather than just a product or a service.

It is a mix of:

1. an aesthetic touch,
2. professional programming,
   
3. innovative development
   
4. and reliable support.

Here is a snapshot of the development cycle from our modest point of view:

• We, first, design and set the perception dimension until the client is satisfied.
  
• Then we select the best programming technique and database to serve the needs of the client organization. Sometimes we develop scripts from scratch, sometimes we use the right available packages as long as it meets the need of our client.
• Third, we try our best to match the design with the underlying tools in order to streamline the process and prepare it for the future. It should be: extensible, upgradeable, scalable and customizable.
  
• Fourth, we are proud to stick to our schedules and deadlines.
  
• Fifth, we deliver what would delight the client.
• Sixth, we do never let the client on their own. We always opt for a long term relationship. Our support service surpassed high service benchmark in this country which is known for customer centric standards. We have never got a disappointed client
  
• Finally, we strive to keep the best impression possible and continuously improve :)

Wondering whether you should build a new web experience or re-create the current tired site, do not hesitate to contact us and you would not regret it!

TRAC: a better future for TA and RA in Concordia University

Two years ago, the idea started as a dream. Few friends were looking forward toward building a new bargaining entity for Concordians. It was an opportunity and a threat at the same time. A lot of research and teaching assistants regarded the act as a new problematic spot to be added to our box of conflicts with the administration. Everybody was afraid of the revolutionary policy of Lajeunesse in Concordia and students expected the worse.

Very few accepted to live up to the challenge and we started collecting the individual signatures to support the demand in front of the Quebec Labor Board. It was a really tough quest and the credibility of the team was not very high. We needed to tackle a lot of traps and overcome plenty of obstacles to reach department by department. A lot of students had personal conflicts with the organizers and a lot of students hate unions and unionization for the very simple fact that they came from countries where unions build a negative impression.

Although I agree with the opposers' point of view, I preferred to continue supporting the union because I believe that anything can be good or bad depending on how it is managed. TRAC faced Murphy's law consequences and what we expected to go wrong, did go wrong. At first, the university resistance lead to cutting off a good percentage of research contracts that were converted into bursaries. Students' opposition was too strong to stop the plan. Friction with the left wing affected the plan as well because the historical performance of left wingers (who jumped to the right side at the expense of the left) destroyed their credibility.

However, we continued to build the confidence with major groups of people who trusted some individuals working on the project, and, consequently, eventually, gradually we realized the dream.

Visit: http://www.trac-union.ca

N-TI, yes luxurious apparel MADE FOR YOU

Time is running and my blog lacks updates. However, I wanted to write something about a new website that I have seen lately. It is a new concept to integrate the "Muslim N-TI" in a Quebec context. The Canadian woman does not have to import her fashion from the East anymore, and she does not have to struggle to be "A la mode".

My wife used to spend long hours searching for something that is appealing and match with the look of a Muslim wife in Canada. It was not easy for me to get her a gift on special intimate occasions. Now, I simple send my clicks to http://www.n-ti.com and pick "Simplicity, Beauty, and modernity".

A nice coincidence happened to me. They used the name of my beloved daughter "yet to come" as a sign for one of their skirts. When I selected that skirt for my wife, I did not know that it has the name of our angel that is still sleeping in the womb of her mother. Another dress got the Jannah name and I pray that Allah may grant Jannah for ladies who opts for this dress. It is a truly "Islamic collection" and not "Islamized clothing".

The story behind the site is surprising by itself.

"Three Muslim mothers, four young children, a common dream and a will to work with and for the women of the Muslim community, that is the starting point of N-ti.

After reflecting on the challenge of finding high quality clothing of diverse styles that meets Islamic requirements, Dikra, Salma and Audrey created N-ti. The challenge of creating a business adapted to their house wife situation was surpassed by their ambition. With the help of Allah and despite the many obstacles they faced, they decided to realize their dream.

Respecting divine laws and providing high quality goods and services are N-ti’s first priority. Also, unlike most companies in the clothing industry, N-ti focuses its creation and fabrication efforts in Canada. The majority of our clothes and accessories are thus designed in Canada and all our craft products are hand maid by Quebec artists. Since the companies products are geard towards the Muslim community, N-ti also favors attributing the production to Muslims.

Because they promote cooperation and solidarity within the community, the founders of N-ti also participated in the creation of a network of Muslim business women called Initiatives."

CYNOPROD, an innovative business model

The best manner to understand a business model is to live that model for a while and see its competitive advantage for its clients and its effects on providers. Disruptive technologies need a revolutionary business environment or imaginary visions to change our lives.

Lately I was working on a business project for Cynopord and I discovered how a business can prosper in a very competitive and established industries. Basically, the company is based in Canada, and it is one of the world leaders in the dental industry. CYNOPROD is a conceptual integrator in the installation of the most sophisticated production center solutions in the dental industry. It offers a complete range of unique and innovative dental solutions that combine advanced technologies to produce the best quality of prostheses in today's dental market. They can be classified as the pioneer in dental CAD/CAM technology nowadays, and the company could established dental production center partnerships in North America, Europe, the Middle East and Africa.

As I understood, the market for dental machineries is very established and almost monopolized. However, this entrepreneurial firm could penetrate slowly into several markets using a repackaging techniques and advanced marketing tools. A lot of service providers are competing in the same markets and putting loads of money to attract dentists and lab operators towards their technologies and products but very few are successful. There are several secrets behind the model and I would love to know them in order to apply them in different industries with similar competitive trends and market forces.

If you would like to see more about this business model, I suggest you visit the site http://www.cynoprod.com and look around for some competitors in order to see the similarities with other markets and industries. One might be able to sneak into a tighter cartel with such neat tricks. Who knows?

Petition to broadcast AlJazeera English to North America

We, the people that believe in democracy, freedom of speech, justice and prosperity to every living soul are grateful to Aljazeera news channel for its much appreciated efforts; its strong will and courage for its continuous coverage of the inhumane massacres to shed the light on Israeli terrorism against all definition of human rights that are recognized by international laws.

While we can rely on the Aljazeera news channel and the aljazeera.net internet website to provide us with facts and the truth from ground zero perspective, we can not neglect the fact that the non-Arabs can only rely on other media organizations that mostly rely on the Zionists’ biased points of view.  For that, we the people, demand of Aljazeera for an English media to communicate the facts to non-Arabic readers and viewers.  Many of us don’t fully understand Arabic or at least can’t read it well enough to rely on the aljazeera.net website as a source of information.  We believe an English media can help us and help the other non-Arabic speaking people that lack the understanding of our cause or have no other alternative than to rely on the Zionist propaganda and their biased news.

We as Arabs are fully aware of our case and the fight for our cause.  However, it is unfortunate that the rest of the world is constantly bombarded with news that is continuously persuaded by Zionistic propaganda.  As a result, the truth is buried from the public.  We believe getting the true message out to the rest of the world will better help the Palestinian cause because it is simple in itself when one can visualize the truth at ground zero and simultaneously comprehend it via the English language.

Here are our signatures in the hope to get our demands, but rather our requests and wishes, which we have great hope of establishing this immense link between us and the outside world to see our point of view and to fight the media terrorism before it’s too late.  It is unfortunate that there is a so called “outside world”.  However, integrating these worlds can only create a realm of true understanding met by all on one level.  The realm in itself can destroy injustice because truth can no longer be concealed. 

We believe that media is the strongest weapon because it has indeed bestowed great horror on the Palestinian people due to the access of media that Zionists have continuously exercised to the point of obscuring injustice and killing innocent people.

We show gratitude to you for taking the time and deliberation to observe that we are calling for your application in anticipating action and providing the truth for all eyes to see.  This in itself only revitalizes hope and defines justice as it should be; fairness; righteousness; and impartiality.

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/877863/posts