Re: [IslamCity] Re: Women Leading Prayers
Yes,There is no problem if a woman leads other women in Salat.However, the woman leading should have better knowledge of the Qur'an and should be able to recite the Qur'anic verses without making mistakes.THank you.Sincerely,Syed-Mohsin Naquvi ---[EMAIL PROTECTED], [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Can someone please confirm if women can lead the salaat of women only?zafarnoor-e-islaam <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>wrote: AsSalaam O Alaikum��� ���� ������ ������ In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most MercifulWomen Leading Prayers-Allah is One --- Quraan is One --- Siraat_ul_Mustaqeem is OneOne Ummah --- One Islaam --- One Voice --- One Worshipping Method-Both Men and Women can enjoin or forbid according to the Quraan and the Authentic Sunnah:The Believers, men and women, are protectors one of another: they enjoin what is just, and forbid what is evil: they observe regular prayers, practice regular charity, and obey Allah and His Messenger. On them will Allah pour His mercy: for Allah is Exalted in power, Wise. (Al_Quraan_009:071)Types of Prayers: There are several types of Prayer in Islaam. Remember, any act of obeying Allah is a Prayer. BUT here I would like to mentioned a few of them regarding Leading Prayers, which includes, Congregational DUAA, Congregational Quraan Recitation, Congregational Islaamic Lecture according to the Quraan and the Authentic Sunnah and Leading Congregational Salaat. Women can Lead any types of Prayer except Salaat:There is no harm in Women leading Congregational Duaa, Congregational Quraan Recitation, Congregational Islaamic Lecture according to the Quraan and the Authentic Sunnah. Our Salaat is a very special and very different kind of Prayers. In Salaat we have to bow down (Rukooh) and Prostrate (Sijda). Not a single Modest Woman will feel comfortable to bow down (Rukooh) and Prostrate (Sijda) in front of Men whom are strangers to her. So by separating Women from mingling among men during Congregational Salaat, and offering Salaat in the last rows or in a separate room, Allah has protected our Women from being un-comfortable. Women are not Inferior in Islaam:Just because women are not allowed to lead Congregational Salaat does not mean that our women are inferior to our men. Also, because no Women were Prophets or Messengers, does not mean that they are inferior. We forget that Our Women gave birth to many of these Prophets and Messengers.Women are Equal to Men in Islaam:There are many example in the Quraan that Women are equal to Men, Below is only one of them:And whoever does good deeds whether male or female and he (or she) is a believer-- these shall enter the garden, and they shall not be dealt with a jot unjustly. (Al_Quraan_004:124)Leader of the House are Men: Women should never ever think to lead the Mix Congregational Prayer.There are two main reason why men are Leader of the house. One Allah made men Leader over women, second men spend the money to provide sustain to women.Men are the Leader (Manager, Maintainers, Protectors, Responsible, Taking Care ) of women because Allah has made some of them to excel others and (also) because they spend out of their property; the good women are therefore obedient, guarding the unseen as Allah has guarded; and (as to) those on whose part you fear desertion, admonish them, and leave them alone in the sleeping-places and beat them; then if they obey you, do not seek a way against them; surely Allah is High, Great. (Al_Quraan_004.034)And do not covet that by which Allah has made some of you excel others; men shall have the benefit of what they earn and women shall have the benefit of what they earn; and ask Allah of His grace; surely Allah knows all things. (Al_Quraan_004.032)-May Allah HELP all Muslims to do Dawah with Wisdom. AMEEN. Yahoo! Groups Sponsor ~-- Check out the new improvements in Yahoo! Groups email.http://us.click.yahoo.com/Lik1AB/fOaOAA/i1hLAA/TXWolB/TM~- ***{Invite (mankind, O Muhammad ) to the Way of your Lord (i.e. Islam) with wisdom (i.e. with the Divine Inspiration and the Qur'an) and fair preaching, and argue with them in a way that is better. Truly, your Lord knows best who has gone astray from His Path, and He is the Best Aware of those who are guided.} (Holy Quran-16:125){And who is better in speech than he who [says: "My Lord is Allah (believes in His Oneness)," and then stands straight (acts upon His Order), and] invites (men) to Allah's (Islamic Monotheism), and does righteous deeds, and says: "I am one of the Muslims."} (Holy Quran-41:33)The prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: "By Allah, if Allah guides one person by
[IslamCity] Re: Women Leading Prayers
Salaam This is easy. If no men are available, should they go without praying? On 6/19/06, zafar minhas [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Can someone please confirm if women can lead the salaat of women only? zafar *noor-e-islaam [EMAIL PROTECTED]* wrote: AsSalaam O Alaikum Yahoo! Groups Sponsor ~-- Yahoo! Groups gets a make over. See the new email design. http://us.click.yahoo.com/mDk17A/lOaOAA/i1hLAA/TXWolB/TM ~- *** {Invite (mankind, O Muhammad ) to the Way of your Lord (i.e. Islam) with wisdom (i.e. with the Divine Inspiration and the Qur'an) and fair preaching, and argue with them in a way that is better. Truly, your Lord knows best who has gone astray from His Path, and He is the Best Aware of those who are guided.} (Holy Quran-16:125) {And who is better in speech than he who [says: My Lord is Allah (believes in His Oneness), and then stands straight (acts upon His Order), and] invites (men) to Allah's (Islamic Monotheism), and does righteous deeds, and says: I am one of the Muslims.} (Holy Quran-41:33) The prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: By Allah, if Allah guides one person by you, it is better for you than the best types of camels. [al-Bukhaaree, Muslim] The prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) also said, Whoever calls to guidance will have a reward similar to the reward of the one who follows him, without the reward of either of them being lessened at all. [Muslim, Ahmad, Aboo Daawood, an-Nasaa'ee, at-Tirmidhee, Ibn Maajah] -- Recommended: http://www.islamonline.net http://www.islam-guide.com http://www.prophetmuhammadforall.org -- All views expressed herein belong to the individuals concerned and do not in any way reflect the official views of IslamCity unless sanctioned or approved otherwise. If your mailbox clogged with mails from IslamCity, you may wish to get a daily digest of emails by logging-on to http://www.yahoogroups.com to change your mail delivery settings or email the moderators at [EMAIL PROTECTED] with the title change to daily digest. Yahoo! Groups Links * To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/islamcity/ * To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] * Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
[IslamCity] Ten Obligations
Concerning the Ten Obligations that Must be Discharged Before Pious Restraint (wara) can Acquire its Full SignificanceThe penitent cannot realize the full significance of pious restraint (wara) unless he recognizes that ten things are strictly incumbent upon him: 1. The first of these obligations is to guard against using the tongue for backbiting (ghiba), because He has said (Exalted is He): And do not backbite one another. (49:12) 2. The second obligation is to avoid the tendency to harbor sinister suspicions (su az-zann), since He has said (Exalted is He): O you who believe, you must avoid a great deal of suspicion, for some suspicion is a sin. (49:12) And the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) said: Beware of suspicion, for it is the most misleading source of information (akdhab al-hadith). 3. The third obligation is to steer well clear of mockery and ridicule (sukhriyya), because He has told us (Exalted is He): O you who believe, one group of people should not scoff at another group of people, who may be better than they. (49:11) 4. The fourth obligation is to lower ones eyes in the presence of things that should be treated as sacred (maharim), because He has told us (Exalted is He): And tell the believing men to keep their eyes downcast (and to guard their private parts). (24:30) 5. The fifth obligation is to be true to ones word, because He has told us (Exalted is He): And if you give your word, you must act fairly. (6:153) That is, you must prove that you really mean what you say. 6. The sixth obligation is to acknowledge ones dependence on the gracious favor of Allah (Exalted is He), as a precaution against self-centered conceit, since He has told us (Exalted is He): It is rather that Allah is treating you with gracious favor, inasmuch as He has guided you to faith. (49:17) 7. The seventh obligation is to spend ones wealth on that which has true value (haqq), and not to spend it on that which is quite worthless (batil), because He has told us (Exalted is He): And (among His faithful servants are) those who, when they spend, are neither prodigal nor parsimonious. (25:67) In other words, they neither spend their wealth on sinful disobedience, nor withhold it from the support of worshipful obedience. 8. The eighth obligation is not to go seeking high-and-mighty status and prestige for the sake of self-aggrandizement, because He has told us (Exalted is He): As for that Ultimate Abode, We shall assign it to those who are neither intent on high-and-mighty status on earth, nor on corruption. (28:83) 9. The ninth obligation is to observe the five ritual prayers (salawat) at the times prescribed for them each day, following the correct sequence of bowing (ruku) and prostration (sujud), because He has told us (Exalted is He): Be careful to observe your prayers, and (especially) the middle prayer, and stand obedient to Allah. (2:238) 10. The tenth obligation is to stick to the course prescribed by the Sunna (exemplary precedent set by Allahs Messenger, Allah bless him and give him peace) and the Jamaa (common practice agreed upon by the Companions of the Prophet, [Allah bless him and give him peace] during the time of the rightly guided Caliphs, Abu Bakr, Umar, Uthman and Ali, [may Allah be well pleased with them all]) , since He has told us (Exalted is He): And this path of Mine is straight, so follow it. Do no follow other paths, lest you be separated from His path. (6:154) - Shaikh 'Abd al-Qadir al-Jilani, Sufficient Provision for the Seekers of the Path of Truth (Al-Ghunya li-Talibi Tariq al-Haqq)saiyed shahbazi www.shahbazcenter.org __._,_.___ *** {Invite (mankind, O Muhammad ) to the Way of your Lord (i.e. Islam) with wisdom (i.e. with the Divine Inspiration and the Qur'an) and fair preaching, and argue with them in a way that is better. Truly, your Lord knows best who has gone astray from His Path, and He is the Best Aware of those who are guided.} (Holy Quran-16:125) {And who is better in speech than he who [says: My Lord is Allah (believes in His Oneness), and then stands straight (acts upon His Order), and] invites (men) to Allah's (Islamic Monotheism), and does righteous deeds, and says: I am one of the Muslims.} (Holy Quran-41:33) The prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: By Allah, if Allah guides one person by you, it is better for you than the best types of camels. [al-Bukhaaree, Muslim] The prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) also said, Whoever calls to guidance will have a reward similar to the reward of the one who follows him, without the reward of either of them being lessened at all. [Muslim, Ahmad, Aboo Daawood, an-Nasaa'ee, at-Tirmidhee, Ibn Maajah] -- Recommended: http://www.islamonline.net http://www.islam-guide.com
[IslamCity] BEST IBAA-DAT FOR SUNNY SUMMER DAYS
Probably thebest Iba'dat forSunny Summer Days Remember the order…..to lower your gazeBy Asma bint Shameem - Forwarded by Alimah Zehrabai Somji As the heat gets hotter…. as the sun gets brighter, As they take it all off…. as their ‘burden’ gets lighter, When you feel the temptation as they roam half naked, When you think for sure that you just can’t make it. Remember O Muslim the perfect instructions, Remember not to give in to those temptations, Through the lure, the enticement and through the haze, Remember the order…..to lower your gaze. Don’t go to such places….don’t go to the beaches, Remember the lessons remember what Islam teaches, Don’t sit idle in the street nor visit the mall, When you know they are going to bare it all. Now, I know it isn’t easy….. its hard not to stare, Its difficult to look away when its all there, But, don’t feed your lust, nor set it ablaze, Remember the order…. to lower your gaze. What’s the harm in it, they say. It’s nothing but fun! If I look at some bodies bathing in the sun! A lustful look towards the opposite gender, Is all that it takes to set off the trigger. It leads to sin and abomination, It paves the way for fornication, Don’t take it so lightly, don’t think it’s a phase, Remember the order…. to lower your gaze. Watch out for that arrow….the arrow from Satan, The one you’re warned about….laden with poison, The arrow that is aimed towards your very heart, When it reaches its target, it leaves a black mark. It infects your heart and leaves it vulnerable, for Satan to take over and do as he is able, Recall the Prophet’s words for he told no lies, “Looking at something forbidden is the zinaa of the eyes.” Don’t look at anything haraam, that’s what he said, So when temptation passes by…..just turn away your head, Just lower your gaze…..don’t give that second look, For you never know when you get caught by the hook. A lustful glance….then the talk …..then the meeting, You know what comes next….after all the flirting, Fornication is major. “Don’t even come near it.” It starts with that first look, every Muslim should fear it. So lower your gaze…. don’t look at haraam, Strive for good deeds….they work like a charm, If you are able then do get married, That’s what the Prophet alaihis-salaam instructed. Keep voluntary fasts….they will make you strong, Being a good Muslim, you surely can’t go wrong, A part of his character is the Muslim’s gaze, So fear Allaah as you spend these summer days. Ask Allaah to help you….you’ll find Him there, And never underestimate the power of prayer, Not only in the streets, remember O Muslim, Lower your gaze when watching television. The shows….the sitcoms…..the underwear ads, The suggestive scenes….the fashions and the fads, Day in and day out, we watch haraam and yet…., when ‘Baywatch’ comes on, we don’t turn off the set. Did you forget the Day when Allaah will ask you, of every look you cast….every glance you threw, So where will you hide….what will you do, That Day your eyes will witness against you. Remember, the beauty of this world is temporary, The question is then….will you be able to carry, Your head up high in front of the Almighty, When you stand on a Day, so long so dreary? You are the best Ummah….the Model Community, Custodians of Truth…Upholders of Morality, So fight the Shaytaan, stop him in his wickedness, Lower your gaze, ask for Allaah’s forgiveness. And thank Allaah O Muslim and realize, The greatest blessing is a pair of eyes, Don’t use it to disobey Him, don’t earn His Displeasure, For you will be asked what you did with this treasure. It is not too late….to repent….to amendStart now….by lowering your gaze my friend "Say to the believing men that they should lower their gaze and guard their modesty. That is purer for them. Verily, Allaah is All-Aware of what they do. Say to the believing women that they should lower their gaze and guard their modesty... O you who believe! Turn you all together towards Allah that you may attain success." (Surah Nur:30,31). __._,_.___ *** {Invite (mankind, O Muhammad ) to the Way of your Lord (i.e. Islam) with wisdom (i.e. with the Divine Inspiration and the Qur'an) and fair preaching, and argue with them in a way that is better. Truly, your Lord knows best who has gone astray from His Path, and He is the Best Aware of those who are guided.} (Holy Quran-16:125) {And who is better in speech than he who [says: My Lord is Allah (believes in His Oneness), and then stands straight (acts upon His Order), and] invites (men) to Allah's (Islamic Monotheism), and does righteous deeds, and says: I am one of the Muslims.} (Holy Quran-41:33) The prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: By Allah, if Allah guides one person by you, it is better for you than the best types of camels. [al-Bukhaaree,
[IslamCity] Majority of Turks Oppose Hijab Ban, Back Gov't
Majority of Turks Oppose Hijab Ban, Back Gov't IslamOnline.net News Agencies The majority supported Erdogan's efforts to relax hijab ban on students and civil servants. ANKARA The majority of Turks are satisfied with the performance of Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan's government and are opposed to the official ban on hijab in public offices and universities, according to a poll published on Wednesday, June 14. The poll, conducted by Isik and Sabanci universities in Istanbul, found that two thirds of the 1,846 people polled in more than 20 towns and cities support Erdogan's efforts to ease hijab ban on students and civil servants, Reuters reported. The mainly Muslim country of 72 million has a strongly secular political tradition. In 1997, President Ahmet Necdet Sezer issued a decree banning hijab in state-run institutions, including schools and universities. Hijab-donned women were also banned from frequenting any social clubs affiliated to the military institution. Even veiled journalists have been repeatedly prevented from covering news conferences inside government institutions. Many in Turkey's military, academic and judicial establishment view this ban as a key pillar of Turkey's secular order. Islam sees hijab as an obligatory code of dress, not a religious symbol displaying ones affiliations. Conservative The poll, conducted in March and April, showed that the majority of Turks were more conservative on social and moral issues. Three fifths of those interviewed attributed failure in life to a lack of religious faith. Nearly a third said boys and girls should be taught in separate classes at school. They also opposed allowing their Muslim daughters to marrying non-Muslims. Nearly half of the respondents said tourists spoil Turkish morality and harm its culture. They voiced unease with the spectacle of naked or near-naked tourists soaking up the sun at Turkish resorts. Nearly a third of those polled expressed dissatisfaction with the democratic process in the country. More than half said they were happy with the government of the ruling Justice and Development party. Turkey faces a general election by November 2007. Forty percent of those polled said they would prefer a military-led government and nearly a third expressed dissatisfaction with the democratic process. Turkey's powerful armed forces traditionally rank as the institution most respected by Turks. The military has ousted democratically elected governments four times in the past 50 years but has seen its powers trimmed by EU-backed reforms. The poll also confirmed falling support for joining the 25-member euro club, down to 57 percent from 74 percent a few years ago. The European Union and Turkey officially kickstarted on Monday, June 12, the long-awaited accession talks, the most important cornerstone of membership process, after EU foreign ministers overcame last-minute objections from Cyprus. Turkey has been trying to join the European club since the 1960s. __._,_.___ *** {Invite (mankind, O Muhammad ) to the Way of your Lord (i.e. Islam) with wisdom (i.e. with the Divine Inspiration and the Qur'an) and
[IslamCity] Israel and US Arming, Financing, Preparing Palestinian Civil War
"MER - MiddleEast.Org" [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: From: "MER - MiddleEast.Org" [EMAIL PROTECTED]To: "MER" [EMAIL PROTECTED]Subject: Israel and US Arming, Financing, Preparing Palestinian Civil WarDate: Sun, 18 Jun 2006 10:47:32 -0400 18 June 2006Free www.MiddleEast.Org News, Views, Analysis Governments, Lobbies, the Corporate Media Don't Want You To KnowMake Sure You Are Using The NEW MER - click hereISRAEL and U.S. PREPARE PALESTINIAN CIVIL WARMER - MiddleEast.Org - Washington - 18 June: Even more since the assassination of Yasser Arafat, the founder and head of the PLO, and before that the assassination of Sheik Ahmed Yassin, the founder and head of Hamas, the Israelis and the Americans, the Mossad/Shinbet and the CIA, have been financing and arming 'their' Palestinians. In recent weeks clandestine arms shipments have gone from the Jordanians via Israel to the forces of Mahmoud Abbas, long connected with the Americans and the CIA. Now rather buried and camaflouged in this Haaretz article published today is limited information how the Fateh forces are being built-up, armed and financed, by a coalition that includes the Israelis, the Americans, the Arab 'client regimes', and the more skeptical but nevertheless on board Europeans. Unless the Palestinians could be forced into a rump and unreal Palestinian State more imprisoning them than freeing them, the alternative Israeli policy has been for some time to foment a fratricidal Palestinian civil war. They are now closer to this goal than ever. Fatah, Hamas down to last three issues on prisoners' planBy Avi Issacharoff and Shlomi Shamir, Haaretz CorrespondentsHaaretz, Israel, 18 June: Fatah and Hamas have reached an agreement on 15 out of the 18 points in a diplomatic plan known as the prisoners' document, representatives of both groups in Gaza said Sunday. The plan drawn up by Hamas and Fatah activists jailed in Israel calls for the establishment of a Palestinian state based on the 1967 borders, and implicitly recognizes Israel. Abbas gave initially Hamas 10 days to accept the plan or face a national referendum. The deadline was extended however, and the factions began negotiations on the plan. The three remaining points of the plan left to discuss concern central issues in Israeli-Palestinian relations. The first relates to the status of the PLO - the umbrella organization to which Fatah belongs and has dominated for decades - as the only legitimate body for holding negotiations with Israel.The second point concerns the right of the Palestinian people for armed resistance only within the borders of the occupied territories.The third disputed issue relates to the question of holding a referendum on future agreements with Israel. The representatives also said that the parties have made significant progress on the question of recognizing international decisions and the decisions by the Arab League on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. At a 2002 conference in Beirut, the Arab League made the unprecedented offer of recognizing Israel in return for a complete Israeli withdrawal from all territories captured in the 1967 Six-Day War. Fatah recruits 4,000 men ahead of possible clash with HamasThe Preventive Security Forces in Gaza and other centrist Fatah forces under the command of Mohammed Dahlan recently recruited over 4,000 young Palestinians to their ranks in anticipation of a potential confrontation with Hamas. About 2,500 men volunteered for Fatah's Al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades and Al-Asifa in the southern Gaza Strip, while the remainder will serve as rank-and-file soldiers in the Preventive Security Forces. The largest new force was created in the southern Gaza Strip, in the Rafah and Khan Yunis area. Al-Asifa ("the storm," which took its name from Fatah's military force of the 1960s-80s) is under the command of Abd Al-Rauf Barbah, an officer from the Preventive Security Forces who is considered a "very colorful" figure in Gaza. He recruited 1,500 young men who underwent basic arms training. His forces were not, however, involved in the battles near the force's headquarters in Rafah, which Hamas attempted to take over. Dahlan's Preventive Security Forces is on the front lines of the Fatah fighting with Hamas. A few of the forces' senior officers have been killed or injured recently in defensive actions. In the most recent incident, Hamas militants ambushed the forces' local commander in Khan Yunis, Rifat Kulab, shooting and wounding him. They later went to his home and set it on fire. In the past two months, two groups, of 750 fresh recruits each, underwent basic training at the force's Tel al-Hawa base before being absorbed into the new "operational force" that is under the authority of the preventive forces. Rashid Abu Shabak, one of Dahlan's closest friends, is the commander of the preventive forces. An additional 800 young men from the northern Gaza Strip
[IslamCity] NORTH KOREANS CATCH DAJJAL BUSH NAPPING, DREAMING ABOUT IRAN
NORTH KOREANS CATCH DAJJAL BUSH NAPPING, DREAMING ABOUT IRAN North Korea said to have fueled missile for test By Carol Giacomo, Diplomatic Correspondent Reuters Sunday June 18, 2006 http://today.reuters.com/misc/PrinterFriendlyPopup.aspx?type=newsOnestoryID=2006-06-19T033454Z_01_N18274204_RTRUKOC_0_US-KOREA-NORTH-USA.xml WASHINGTON (Reuters) - North Korea is believed to have completed fueling a missile capable of reaching Alaska, raising the probability of an imminent test launch, U.S. officials said on Sunday. The United States plans to join Japan in a sharp response if the test goes ahead. Washington has warned Pyongyang against the launch in a message passed to North Korean diplomats at the United Nations but there was no response, American officials told Reuters. The officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Pyongyang could still decide to scrap the launch, but that was unlikely given the complexity of siphoning fuel back out of a missile prepared for launch. The test is expected to involve a Taepodong-2 missile with an estimated range of 2,175 to 2,670 miles. At that range, parts of Alaska in the United States would be within reach as well as Asia and Russia. North Korea lacks an operational missile that can hit the continental United States, the California-based Center for Nonproliferation Studies said in a recent report. Nonetheless it would be Pyongyang's first test of a long-range missile since it stunned the world in August 1998 by firing a Taepodong-1 over Japan that landed in the Pacific Ocean. U.S. officials have watched with alarm as satellite photos showed launch preparations accelerating at the Musudan-ri missile facility in North Hamgyong province in North Korea's northeast. The New York Times, quoting American officials, reported on its Web site that booster rockets were loaded onto a launch pad and fuel tanks fitted to a missile. This could not be confirmed, but U.S. and other officials have said satellite images show fuel tanks and key components of a missile positioned at the test site. 'FINISHING STAGE' The South Korean daily Dong-A Ilbo quoted a Seoul government official as saying the launch could be imminent. We think North Korea has poured liquid fuel into the missile propellant built in the missile launching pad. It is at the finishing stage before launching but the South Korean government did not know if fueling was completed, he said. Experts say if the missile is not launched 48 hours after fueling, the fuel will start to break down and damage the missile. The test preparations came as six-country talks on North Korea's nuclear programs are stalemated and international attention has shifted to concerns that Iran is building a nuclear weapon, which Tehran denies. If they test, the North Koreans undoubtedly would bring upon themselves tougher sanctions from Japan and a cooling (in relations) from South Korea and China so it's not cost free for them, but it suggests they are not happy where they are in terms of the six-party process, said Michael Green, a former senior Asia adviser to President George W. Bush. Pyongyang now regrets a joint statement adopted by the six countries participating in the negotiations -- the United States, South and North Korea, Japan, Russia and China -- which requires it to give up its atomic ambitions, he told Reuters. It is also unhappy with a U.S. crackdown on financial transactions involving cash earned by the North through illegal activities like currency counterfeiting, he said. Daniel Pinkston of the Center for Nonproliferation Studies said the launch would be portrayed glowingly in official North Korean media and show the country as advancing its military and scientific prowess. Some of North Korea's leaders may not be too worried about the response from Washington because they see the U.S. as doing everything already it can to punish North Korea, Pinkston added. American and Japanese assets -- including satellites and a U.S. guided missile ship -- have been moved into position to serve as long-range surveillance and tracking platforms. Washington and its allies were caught off guard when Pyongyang last tested a missile eight years ago and they are determined to be ready this time to gather critical intelligence on the North's capabilities. http://today.reuters.com/misc/PrinterFriendlyPopup.aspx?type=newsOnestoryID=2006-06-19T033454Z_01_N18274204_RTRUKOC_0_US-KOREA-NORTH-USA.xml Yahoo! Groups Sponsor ~-- Great things are happening at Yahoo! Groups. See the new email design. http://us.click.yahoo.com/iDk17A/hOaOAA/i1hLAA/TXWolB/TM ~- *** {Invite (mankind, O Muhammad ) to the Way of your Lord (i.e. Islam) with wisdom (i.e. with the Divine Inspiration and the Qur'an) and fair preaching, and argue with them in a way