Husband pledges in contract not to remarry

Mauritanian women say no to polygamy

NOUAKCHOTT:  Many Mauritanian women and their families are now stipulating the one-wife as a prerequisite before marriage, but religious scholars have condemned it as a violation to Islamic teaching.

Many of the Mauritanian women now insist on including a condition in the marriage contract that prevents the husband from keeping a previous wife or taking a new one. In case the husband violates this condition, the woman becomes entitled to file an immediate divorce.

For many parents, this restriction has become one of the most important conditions while negotiating marriage details with a suitor since they believe it is the key to their daughter’s happiness and marital stability.

Mauritanian women give up a lot of their rights in order to talk the groom into accepting the condition of not having another wife, said Fatima who insisted on this condition in her current and previous marriage.

“In order to be granted that right we neither ask for big dowries nor a divorce settlement," she told AlArabiya.net. “We also don’t care about the apartment, furniture or the honeymoon.”

Several women in Mauritania even stay with their families after marriage to give their husbands a chance to accumulate money to buy apartments ready at their own convenience.

“We make all these sacrifices in order to preserve our dignity.”

Fatima added that this practice, even though considered unusual in the beginning, has earned Mauritania a lot of praise in the region.

“Arab and African women who visited Mauritania were impressed and several neighboring countries started imitating us like Morocco and Senegal.”

Human rights organizations hailed this practice as a positive step towards granting Mauritanian women more rights, and praised the government for instructing the Civil Rights Authority to give women the right to set this condition in the marriage contract.

Islamic scholars disagreeOn the other hand, several religious scholars in Mauritania slammed the condition and considered it as violation of Islamic laws that give men the right to take up to four wives.

This condition, they argue, has a negative impact on society since it will increase divorce rates whether in making the man leave his previous wife or in giving the woman the right to divorce if the husband remarries.

Some scholars say that a woman and her future husband can verbally agree that he does not remarry without writing this condition on the marriage contract.

The "verbal contract" they justify it is that women can change their minds later on by deciding on not wanting to have a divorce if their husbands take second wives.

However, few scholars sanction the condition as long as the husband agrees to abide by this commitment

Men’s way out

Despite the fact that a considerable portion of Mauritanian men agree not to have another wife, there is always a way of going around it. Some men divorce the first wife then take her back after marrying the second one.

Other men remarry in secret taking advantage of the social conditions that lead several Mauritanian women to accept a secret marriage. Divorced and unmarried women agree to marry a married man in secret believing that their marriage prospects are diminishing as they get older.

Poor families also agree to marry their girls to rich married men in secret since the future husband usually provides for the entire family.

Sometimes a woman would know that her husband violated the condition and would pretend not to and not ask for divorce. This especially applies to upper classes where women care about their social image and prefer not to announce that their husbands remarried in secret.

When it startedScholars disagree as to when the anti-polygamy condition started to be applied.

According to Mauritanian traditions, most pre-nuptial agreements were made verbally in the presence of several witnesses from both families.

The man, for example, would pledge to treat his wife well and never to leave her and sometimes would commit to household details like bringing her a maid and so on.

Sometimes parents would set religious conditions that make the husband ensure that his wife practices her rituals on regular basis. For example, the husband can pledge to wake his wife up every day when it’s time for dawn prayers.

Marriage conditions have undergone remarkable changes as women started gaining more rights in Mauritania. For example, a woman would demand that she continues her education and/or work after marriage even if she has children.

Algeria to build world's third largest mosque

Grand Mosque of Algiers could cost several billion dollars

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ALGIERS:  Algeria on Tuesday called for offers to build a Grand Mosque of Algiers, which would be the third largest mosque in the world after those of Mecca and Medina in Saudi Arabia.

Candidate companies should have an annual turnover of at least one billion euros ($1.48 billion) and have a permanent staff of more than 2,000 engineers, technicians and office staff, the national agency for the building of the Djamaa El Dzajair (Algiers mosque) specified in a communique.

The Grand Mosque of Algiers, which could cost several billion dollars, will stand on a terrain of about 20 hectares (49 acres) at Mohammadia opposite the bay of Algiers to the east of the capital, where its minaret will be 270 meters (885 feet) high.

The main prayer hall will be large enough for 36,000 people, and the complex will also include an inner court, an esplanade, a large auditorium, a library for 2,000 people, a school for Quranic studies and an underground car park with space for 6,000 vehicles.

Algiers currently has three historic mosques: Djamaa el-Djedid, on which the building work began in 1660, Djamaa el-Kebir, built in the 11th century, and the Ketchaoua below the Casbah (the old town), which was constructed under the Turks from 1794. The Ketchaoua was converted into a cathedral under French colonial rule (1830-1962), and restored to Islam after independence.

France seeks to woo Islamic investments

Aims to turn Paris into EU capital of Islamic finance
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PARIS : As France debates whether to ban the burqa, the government is leading a drive to attract billions in investment from Muslim countries by turning Paris into the European capital of Islamic finance.
The French parliament this month has approved changes to legislation to allow Islamic "sukuk" bonds to be issued and the Qatar Islamic Bank has applied to be the first such bank to open in France.
Home to Europe's biggest Muslim minority, France is hoping to unseat London as the European hub for Islamic banking, offering products that comply with Sharia law and meet the needs of big investors mostly from Gulf countries.
But the drive is raising hackles, with some opposition politicians accusing the government of undermining France's much prized secularism to accommodate wealthy interests.
"When rich Muslims are concerned, we welcome them. But when they are poor, we put them on planes and deport them. This is all very upsetting," said Socialist deputy Henri Emmanuelli.
After failing to garner enough votes to derail the bill, the Socialist opposition is challenging the legality of the new legislation on Islamic finance before the Constitutional Council.
"We must not allow principles of Sharia law, or the ethics of the Quran to be introduced into French law," said Emmanuelli.
Under Sharia law, making money from money such as charging interest is not permitted and investment in companies involved in alcohol, gambling and tobacco is strictly off limits.
"Sukuk" bonds
Much of the debate has focused on opening up the French market to "sukuk" bonds, which are asset-based and do not pay interest. Investors receive coupons corresponding to part of the profits earned by the asset underpinning the bond.
Economists argue that money raised through Islamic finance could help spur France's nascent recovery with tools that are seen as financially sounder than the high-risk derivatives that led to the 2008 global meltdown.
Elyes Jouini, an author of a report presented to the government last year, estimates that France could tap into 120 billion euros in capital from Islamic finance by making adjustments to its tax and banking laws.
Only €7 billion of those would be raised domestically among France's five million Muslims.
"There are extremely important financial reserves in Gulf countries and southeast Asia and these countries are ready to invest anywhere but they have specific rules in terms of ethics and in terms of the choice of investment," said Jouini.
"If France wants to attract this capital to its economy, it must offer the possibility for these investors to do so according to the rules of Islamic finance," he said.
Fear of the unknown
Finance Minister Christine Lagarde and Central Bank governor Christian Noyer are to address a major conference in Paris this week that could yield some announcements on promoting Islamic finance in the French economy.
France's far-right National Front has denounced Islamic finance as a "community-based peril" resulting from immigration.
Jouini said opposition to the changes stems from "fear of the unknown."
"The term Islamic is confused with Islamist, the term Sharia raises fears because some think of women forced to cover themselves, the word fatwa raises fears because some think of Salman Rushdie, but a fatwa is nothing more than a decree," said Jouini.
"Islamic finance draws from the ethical principles of Muslim law but it obviously obeys Republican laws. It is not outside the boundaries of legality or civil society," he said.
The drive to open up to Islamic finance came as a parliament task force was looking at measures to ban the wearing of the full Islamic veil in France, reviving controversy over Islam's place there.

Fight terrorism jointly: Al-Sudais

MAKKAH/MADINAH: More than three million Muslim faithful attended juma, taraweeh and Qiyamullail prayers at the Two Holy Mosques on Friday as the imam of the Grand Mosque in Makkah called for joint efforts to combat terrorism.
The Haram in Makkah overflowed with worshippers as tens of thousands of faithful had come to perform Umrah and attend special prayers seeking Lailat Al-Qadr, the night of power.
Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah, accompanied by senior princes, ministers and officials, is in Makkah to spend the last 10 days of Ramadan in the vicinity of Haram.
The king has instructed government departments to mobilize their resources in the service of the guests of God who have come from different parts of the world to perform Umrah and spend the blessed days of Ramadan at the Two Holy Mosques.
Security and traffic departments have deployed more officers around the Two Holy Mosques to maintain law and order and ensure smooth flow of pilgrims. The Health Ministry has made precautionary measures to protect the health of pilgrims from contagious diseases such as swine flu.
Delivering his Friday sermon, Sheikh Abdul Rahman Al-Sudais, imam of the Grand Mosque, urged the faithful to fear God in all walks of their lives. He also urged Muslims to make use of the blessings in the last 10 days of Ramadan by engaging in worship and righteous deeds. “It’s a great blessing of God that we have another opportunity to live in these most blessed days and nights of the year,” he said. “We have to thank God for this blessing by doing good deeds. Are we ready to do that?” the imam asked.
He explained how the Prophet (peace be upon him) and his companions spent the last 10 days of Ramadan. The Prophet used to stay inside the mosque throughout the last 10 days of the holy month, seeking Lailat Al-Qadr. “This night is called Lailat Al-Qadr considering its importance and greatness. It’s better than a thousand months.”
Al-Sudais also spoke about the importance of paying Zakah, the compulsory payment of a specific portion of a person’s wealth. Most Muslims pay their Zakah during Ramadan to maximize their reward.

Mobile phone menace in holy place

MAKKAH: It is the bounden duty of a Muslim to respect the marks of Islam and behave without violating the solemn atmosphere of the holy places. Some people, unfortunately forget that they are in the most holy place on earth, especially when they circumambulate around the Kaaba, talking on their mobile phones, discussing mundane matters or joking and laughing at the top of their voice while most others are engrossed in prayers is pure violation of the sanctity of the holy place.
Ahmad Alya, a pilgrim, told Arab News that the workers in the Grand Mosque should make it a point to stop anyone who commits deeds that violate the sanctity and tranquility of the holy precinct. “One day I saw a man, while performing tawaf (circumambulation), talking on his mobile phone in a high voice and laughing. Such deeds should not be tolerated,” he said.
Bara Salah, another pilgrim said, “The authorities should take steps to stop anyone speaking loudly and other actions that violate the sanctity of the Grand Mosque. I heard the man close to me discussing real estate prices on a cell phone. I told him to stop it and focus on the rites so that he did not disturb other pilgrims. His response was a blank look at me as he continued to talk on the phone.”
Salah, however, was more outraged by the fact that another man was talking on his cell phone while standing under the shadow of the Kaaba. There he was more concerned in conveying the message to the other party on the phone that he was presently in Makkah and he would meet him personally when he returns from Makkah to Jeddah. This imparting of the message was more important to him then praying and completing his tawaf to seek forgiveness. As if the use and abuse of cell phones in the holy precincts are not enough there are people more intent in recording their tawaf rather than completing the spiritual journey. There are people going round the Kaaba with another person recording it on a video camera, and then there are instances of two men meeting at any point of circumambulation and opening up a conversation until the end of their tawaf.
Makkah chief of the Commission for Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice, Sheikh Ahmad Al-Ghamdi, said while one has to be respectful and not raising one’s voice is a necessary part of the manners.
“A Muslim should be busy with his rituals and worships and keep away from any act that disrupts or diverts his attention,” he said, adding, “A man in his prayer should not look at his mobile to see who is calling him or his watch or do anything that diverts his attention from the act of worship. The same is the case with tawaf and saay (walking between Safa and Marwah). Uttering the name of God and supplications are the only permitted things while doing them. Talking with friends or family will only violate the veneration of the places of worship.”

660 Chinese workers embrace Islam in KSA

MAKKAH: Six hundred and sixty Chinese nationals working on the Haramain train construction project have embraced Islam in a ceremony in Makkah.
Abdul Aziz Al-Khudhairi, Makkah Governorate Undersecretary, who witnessed the declaration of the shahada described the event as a “direct response to critics of the government for contracting Chinese company.”

“We received hundreds of letters opposing the signing of a contract with the Chinese company and demanding that Muslims be contracted,” Al-Khudhairi said. “Six hundred and sixty of them have now embraced Islam.

Now those who were calling for them to be dismissed are happy at their embracing Islam.

The numbers will also go up, as this is only the beginning, and represents around ten percent of the 5,000 working on the Haramain train.”

Al-Khudhairi demanded that “our conduct reflect the teachings of our religion and our words should match our deeds to have an effect on people”. “We must also respect human rights,” he added.

Meanwhile, as many as 2,722 people have embraced Islam at the Cooperative Office for Call, Guidance and Awareness of Communities in Al-Taif Governorate.
The Office’s Director General Sheikh Mohammed Bin Ibrahim Al-Sawat pointed out that the office has also distributed during that period 1,247,694 copies of the Holy Qur’an, religious books and pamphlets as well as 225, 901 religious cassettes.

US mayor under fire for anti-Muslim email

Calls Eid stamps a "slap in the face" to Americans

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DUBAI : The mayor of an American town came under fire over the weekend for forwarding an anti-Islam email calling on recipients to protest against a U.S. postage stamp recognizing Islamic holidays as it was a "slap in the face" to Americans.
Stereotyping the world's 1.5 billion Muslims, the email cites "Muslim terrorist attacks" and calls on people to "remember the Muslim bombing of the World Trade Center in 1993!" in a bid to call on "Patriotic Americans" to protest against the postage stamps first issued in 2001 to mark the Eid holidays.
Forwarded by Mayor Johnny Piper of Clarksville, Tennessee, who defended his actions, the email was sent to around 22 city council members, city officials and even a local newspaper editor.
The email called the stamps, which were wrongly assumed to have been issued under President Barack Obama's administration, a "slap in the face" to the Americans who "died at the hands of those whom this stamp honors."
Piper said his actions were not anti-Muslim and that he was passing on "information."
Meanwhile, the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the Muslim civil liberties and advocacy organization, said it would send a copy of the Quran, Islam's holy book, to Piper and other council memebrs.
While president of the Islamic Center of Clarksville, Ahmed Joudah, said: "I laughed when I read it, but at the same time, I felt sorry that we still have people around us that think that way."
Joudah said he was surprised the mayor had forwarded the email and added: "I don't want to say harsh things, because he's a very nice man. I know him personally, and he's a very nice, decent man."

Islam supports working women: Ex-Shoura adviser

DAMMAM: Former Shoura Council adviser Dr. Umayma Ahmad Al-Jalahma said on Sunday that Islam encourages and supports working women and that there is no reason for women not to work.
“There is nothing in Islam that says that (women) working is forbidden,” she said. “God has given us the right to work, to earn a living and to develop our talents.” Al-Jalahma made the remarks to a gathering of young Saudi women at the Asharqia Businesswomen’s Center as part of her speech, “Women’s Rights in the Workplace.” She stressed that women should know their rights and that their right to work is one of them. “If a woman wants to work, she should be able to. She should be able to tell her husband that she doesn’t want to just sit around the house,” she said. “Some men and women deny the right of women to work, and this is either a result of ignorance or holding on too tightly to tradition.”
However, Al-Jalahma said, unlike Western societies, the basic unit of Islamic society is the family and not the individual. “Women play an important role as mothers of our society’s daughters and sons,” she said. “Working mothers are doing a service to their communities and should be appreciated. Motherhood is also a job.”
She said that workingwomen in the West are not appreciated as such and that the focus on the individual creates a constant struggle between men and women. “To this day, working women in the West demand equal pay between them and their male counterparts,” she said. “The logic is that a woman may start a family and take time off of work, and so a woman may do the same work that a man does but still get paid less for it.”
This, she said, distorts the natural difference between the sexes and breaks up the family. “Women in the West are demanded to transform into men if they want to be appreciated,” she said, “and the family is no longer made up of a mother, father and the children, but of a woman, man and family members.”
However, ideas should not be rejected just because they come from the West. “We need to evaluate everything that is on the table and be open to new ideas,” she said. “It is against our Islamic teachings to reject something just because it comes from the West.”
She said that men also have their role, as well. “Men have a responsibility toward the women in their life, and women should respect that, but this is toward one man in your life — your husband or your father — not to all men. And this doesn’t mean absolute obedience,” she said.
“Men must support their women, it’s a form of spoiling women,” she said. “Men can help in the kitchen; there is no shame in that.” She also addressed claims that Islam does not treat women and men equally. “Absolute equality between two similar groups is fair, but when it is between two different groups, it is not,” she said. “If absolute equality is possible, then men should be able to breast-feed.”
Above equality, she said, Islam values justice. “Islam understands the differences between men and women and demands fairness and justice,” she said. “We can’t all be the same and have the same role. Women and men complement each other, and we need to work together and cooperate for the benefit of the family and the society.”
Women also have the responsibility of passing these lessons to the next generation. “It is true, we have a masculine society, but who let it become that way?” she asked. “It is not men’s fault. Everything starts at the home.”

Opinion divided on TV, online fatwa services

JEDDAH: The Internet, SMS text messaging and Q&A programs on satellite television have all made it easy for members of the public to receive answers and clarifications on Islam-related matters.
The issue, however, is not so straightforward. Some people believe that modern means of communication give sheikhs limited time to think and deliver answers properly. On the other hand, those in support of such means of delivering fatwas say that there is no cause for concern since the majority of queries are repetitive and discussed by scholars before, allowing little room for error.
Abdullah Manna, a Saudi writer, has coined a phrase to describe fatwas delivered through such modern means — “Takeaway Fatwas”. Manna said that Q&A programs on satellite channels have lost their educational and religious purpose and become business instead. He added that these modern means of communication provide sheikhs with a platform to compete with each other and increase their popularity.
The growth and sustainability of such fatwa programs are largely due to the technological revolution as well as better and faster modes of communication fitted into profitable business models. These interactive programs are not only supported through advertising revenue, but also accrue revenue from viewers who telephone in on premium telephone lines.
The producers of such programs repeatedly claim that they air these programs and provide fatwa services because of public demand. Manna, however, countered: “Do not speak for the audience. Most people seek to live moderately and concentrate on praying, fasting, paying Zakah and performing Haj. That is it. This is the extent of their response to their religious duties.”
Manna believes that since Saudi society is a religious one, such scholars take liberty knowing full well they would not be criticized for speaking about religion. It is on account of this knowledge that they speak without any limits.
Manna said “Takeaway Fatwas” go against the ethos of what fatwas should be.
“Issuing a fatwa needs patience and close scrutiny. It also compels sheikhs to explore different opinions and the views of other fiqh schools before providing answers,” he said.
It seems that most questions on fatwa programs and sites are about khulwa (illegal seclusion) and issues relating to beauty such as makeup, perfume and plastic surgery. The questions are also posed mostly by women.
Other questions that frequently come up include participating in entertainment programs that offer prizes, questions about relations between humans and jinns, living in Western countries and dealing with non-Islamic banks and insurance firms.
Questions during Ramadan mainly revolve around fasting. This year has, however, been unique with people asking whether it is necessary to perform prayers in mosques and whether they can avoid going for Umrah due to the swine flu epidemic. Some queries are more specific with people asking whether Makkah and Madinah are protected from the flu due to their holiness.
Q&A programs are among the most popular television programs in the Kingdom with the MBC Efta’a program topping the list. The program, presented by Sheikh Abdul Aziz ibn Nouh, hosts Islamic scholars who answer queries from members of the public.
4shabab is one channel that has gone against this trend and does not broadcast fatwa programs. “We do not want to copy other channels,” said Ali Al-Omari, chairman of 4shabab. “Also our target audience is the youth and we discuss issues that concern them in a program that is aired every Sunday. It is popular even though it does not include fatwas,” he added.
Sheikh Abdul Mohsin Al-Obaikan said he sees no harm in such programs. “As long as the fatwa is from the ‘people of fatwa’ (scholars) and is clear, then there is no problem,” he said, adding that a fatwa is generally about what is “permissible” or “impermissible” and this can be communicated through an SMS or other means of communication.
One popular online fatwa site is IslamOnline.net (www.islamonline.net), which gives answers in both English and Arabic free of charge. Ali Al-Halwani, managing editor of the site’s English Shariah Department, said the site has been receiving an average of 350 questions a day since its launch 10 years ago. He added that the site only manages to answer 20 queries a day and that 70 to 80 percent of queries are from people residing in the West. The site has answered 30,000 queries in the last 10 years. Al-Halwani said questions are categorized into two sections — general questions, which can be answered instantly, and specialist questions which demand the help of highly qualified scholars. He added that the site also contacts questioners if queries are not detailed enough.
Mohammad Al-Banna, who works for the IslamOnline.net’s Arabic section, said that the majority of the site’s visitors are women and youth. Egypt tops the list followed by North African countries, Europe, Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Qatar.
Another Arabic fatwa website that has recently added English and Urdu services is Islamic Hotline (www.elhatef.com). Islamic Hotline was initially launched to cater to a largely Egyptian audience but then expanded its service in July 2009 to include special telephone lines for Egypt, Saudi Arabia, the UK and other countries. Islamic Hotline has answered over 2 million questions since its launch in 2000. It also charges 99 cents (around SR3.71) for each fatwa sent by e-mail. No one was available from the website to answer Arab News’ query on why they charge a minimum fee for fatwas, and why an Egypt-based website is offering an Urdu service.

Ramadan starts Saturday for most Arabs

DUBAI- Saudi Arabia,the birthplace of Islam, will start the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan on Saturday along with most other GCC and Arab countries.
Senior religious councils in Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Jordan, Egypt, Lebanon, Yemen, Algeria and Iraq said the moon's crescent was not sighted after nightfall on Thursday, and so Friday would be the 30th day of Shaaban, the month preceding Ramadan.
The start of the ninth and holiest month of the Muslim calendar is traditionally determined by the sighting of the new moon, often dividing rival Islamic countries and sects over the exact date. More than one billion Muslims worldwide fast from dawn to dusk during the holy month.
Because it follows the lunar cycle, Ramadan comes 11 days earlier every year on the Gregorian calendar, bringing the fasting month this year in the summer.

CBS Ad Puts Video Inside a Magazine

In a marketing stunt to promote its fall TV series, CBS Corp. is inserting thousands of tiny screens in copies of the Time Warner Inc. publication Entertainment Weekly.
The screens measure two and a quarter inches diagonally and play about 40 minutes of clips from new and old CBS shows.
The video begins with a cheeky intro to the "video-in-print" technology, starring characters from the show "The Big Bang Theory."
After that, the reader/viewer can push a spot on the cardboard insert that holds the screen and watch a clip of the sitcom "Two and a Half Men." Push another to see a preview of the new crime-investigation spinoff "NCIS: Los Angeles." Another delivers an ad for PepsiCo Inc., which is helping fund the promotion.
The player, developed and made by Americhip Inc. of Los Angeles, is much like the chips that play music in some greeting cards and magazine ads and is rechargeable.
CBS wouldn't disclose what the inserts or the screens themselves cost. "More than a can of Pepsi," George Schweitzer, CBS's president of marketing, said at a news conference Wednesday.
Apparently, they cost quite a bit more than a soda. According to Paul Caine, president of the Time Inc. magazine group that includes Entertainment Weekly, the ballpark dollar cost for one of these video units is in the "low teens," although he said the cost may come down before the issue comes out.
Time Inc. wouldn't disclose how much it is charging to run the novelty ad, which has to be hand inserted at the printing plant. It is much-needed revenue, though, as Entertainment Weekly ad pages were down 32% in the first half of this year compared to a year ago.
The insert will appear only in copies sent to some subscribers in New York and Los Angeles. A CBS spokesman wouldn't say how many screens would be inserted, saying only that it would be thousands.
It isn't the first time magazines and technology have teamed. Last year, the cover of October's Esquire magazine splashed blazes of electronic ink. Using the same technology as Amazon.com's Kindle, panels on the cover and an ad inside from Ford Motor flashed with messages and an illusion of a car on the road.
CBS has been especially active. In 2007, it placed ads with lickable mojito-flavored strips in Rolling Stone to promote a show about a family with a rum-and-sugar business. In 2005, it embedded People magazine with singing sound chips to promote an Elvis Presley miniseries.

Saudi Mufti allows use of mask during Umrah

RIYADH: The Grand Mufti of Saudi Arabia Wednesday allowed the use of mask with Ahram while performing the Umrah.
According to an Arabic Newspaper, Sheikh Abdul Aziz bin Abdullah Al Sheikh said the people performing the Umrah can wear mask within Haram Sharif while offering Tawaf, Sa’ee and prayers to save themselves from contagious diseases.
According to him, wearing a mask is unlike covering the face. There is no harm in wearing a mask if one needs; however it is better not to wear if not necessary.
The Mufti Azam explained, ‘We have been enjoined on to adopt all the possible measures against communicable infections.’