RE: Boycott Israel [IslamCity] Eid Moobarak
PLEASE ACCEPT MY BELATED EID GREETINGS. WE
HAVE CELEBRATED EID UL-FITR ON 23RD OF OCTOBER 2006 HERE IN SAUDI ARABIA. I
CAME TO MY OFFICE TODAY AFTER EID HOLIDAYS SO THIS LATE GREETINGS.
MAY ALLAH (SWT) GRANT ALL OF YOU HAPPINESS,
SUCCESS, PROSPERITY AND CHEERFUL LIFE AAMEEN.
SYED GHAZIUDDIN
JEDDAH, K.S.A.
From:
islamcity@yahoogroups.com [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Sent: Tuesday, October 24, 2006
2:18 AM
To: eGroup For Muslims Around The
World
Subject: Boycott Israel
[IslamCity] Eid Moobarak
Monday,
23rd of October 2006
Salaam Eid Moobarak to you all.
Today we celebrate Eid-ul-Fitr here in the UK.
Thank you,
- Arif Tamanna
Send instant messages to your online friends http://uk.messenger.yahoo.com
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***
{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.ikhwanweb.com
http://www.islamonline.net
http://www.islam-guide.com
http://www.prophetmuhammadforall.org
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Boycott Israel [IslamCity] Why the veil debate is so important
- Original Message - From: A. Moussa To: A. Moussa Sent: Friday, October 27, 2006 9:52 AM In spite of my own point of view that adds economic reasons, as the cosmetic industries, behind the forces criticizing veil (and women liberation in general), this article is an excellent one exposing the fallacies of the west. - A. M. Why the veil debate is so important http://www.newcivilisation.com/index.php/main/newciv/article/129 It is one of the myths of modern day discourse that Muslims are the ones afraid of debate; overly sensitive, frequently inflexible and of course always wrong. With every new criticism aimed at Muslims, the movie becomes so predictable just like a good old fashioned James Bond movie where 007 kills the baddies, saves the world and ends up with the girl. The Muslim movie is just as predictable and it goes something like this. Prominent Non Muslim indulges in a strong criticism of Muslims or Islam, this is then magnified by the media out of all proportion, and the issue is then repeated ubiquitously in newspaper editorials. In response some Muslims react defensively or violently, which is in turn attacked as Muslims being either too sensitive to criticism or at worst philistines who dont understand the values of the Enlightenment. And before Muslims can catch their breath, another distinct attack raises itself from the ether.The veil issue currently being debated in the UK epitomises exactly what is wrong with the current debate surrounding Islam and the West. Jack Straw a member of the British Cabinet claimed that he wanted to open a debate surrounding the veil. Of course no such thing has actually happened, for a real debate to occur as anyone familiar with any debating society rules knows, are that both sides receive equal time and an equal opportunity to articulate their views. While Jack Straw enjoys the bully pit of the Cabinet, the ability to write columns in national newspapers, extensive opportunities to give live interviews his numerous opponents have to do with scraps via letters pages, brief appearances on twenty four hour news stations and radio phone-ins. What therefore has actually happened is more equivalent to a glorified monologue with Muslims playing the part of optional extras.The issue around the veil is not as has been articulated a clash between the West and Islam. Rather the deeper insight is that this is another of many incidents that epitomises a clash within Western civilization itself. For Muslims the issue of the veil has long been settled, most Muslims believe that the veil is not a compulsion for women to wear, but recognise that for some the covering of the face does constitute an obligation. A small minority of women wear the veil for purely pragmatic reasons, a vehicle to protect themselves from the challenges of a highly sexualised society. Regardless of the position, the issue of the veil is not a lightning rod that it has become within Western society.The veil however does create yet another ideological chasm within Western society. Liberalism has been sorely tested since 9-11, and the veil issue demonstrates once again that there are fundamental contradictions between liberal values on the one hand and the challenges of running a modern state. Prior to a post 9-11 world, the veil would never have become an issue, the concepts of freedom of _expression_ and tolerance would have been too strong and too ingrained in western society. Yet as a result of a myriad of distinct reasons, elements of western society are now heading down the road of intolerance and muscular integration. Many Non Muslims accuse Muslims of not respecting western societys cherished ideals of freedom and tolerance. Yet it isnt Muslims that have delivered blows to these values, these same Non Muslims have done a pretty good job themselves since 9-11. It wasnt Muslims that have passed with alacrity draconian anti-terror legislation, it wasnt Muslims who extended pre-charge detention periods for suspects, it wasnt Muslims who have criminalised legitimate dissent in the name of preventing the glorification of terrorism, it isnt Muslims who preside over the abuse of human rights at Guantanomo Bay, it isnt Muslims who want ID cards, it isnt Muslims who have introduced mass surveillance and wiretaps. These same Non Muslims argue that Muslims have failed to integrate; indeed only recently one senior Conservative politician accused Muslims of seeking voluntary apartheid. Yet what values do they want Muslims to integrate with, the values that existed a hundred years ago, the ones that existed pre 9-11, the ones in vogue now or the new ones that are inevitably just around the corner . And when did such values become sacrosanct and above criticism. Western societies may claim a superior set of principles but they also promote excessive individualism, an unhealthy materialism, a
Boycott Israel [IslamCity] PHOENIX ZIONISTS GET MUSLIM EDITOR EXPELLED FROM HUMAN RELATIONS COMMISSION
PHOENIX ZIONISTS GET MUSLIM EDITOR EXPELLED FROM HUMAN RELATIONS
COMMISSION
Ex-human relations appointee intolerant of Israel, Phoenix says
MONICA ALONZO-DUNSMOOR
The Arizona Republic
10.25.2006
http://www.tucsoncitizen.com/daily/local/30382.php
Tensions in the Middle East are manifesting themselves on a Phoenix
commission that is supposed to foster unity among people.
Phoenix City Council members last week removed Marwan Ahmad, a
Palestinian and Muslim, from the Human Relations Commission after more
than five years of service, saying he was promoting messages of
intolerance against Israel, the Jewish community and at least one
member of the Islamic community.
Mayor Phil Gordon didn't give a specific reason why Ahmad was ousted.
Ahmad's monthly newspaper, Muslim Voice, has come under fire.
In the newspaper, Ahmad depicted a member of the Islamic community as
a dog in an editorial cartoon.
Ahmad also publishes the Multicultural Yellow Pages, which excludes
references to the area's Jewish cultural institutions and replaces
Israel with the name Palestine on a Middle East map.
He omits area codes, airlines and restaurants associated with Israel.
Bill Straus, Arizona regional director of the Anti-Defamation League,
called the book one of our community's most glaring examples of
cultural division.
Ahmad said the City Council violated his freedom of speech and is
mixing local and international politics.
The City Council is under the influence of the pro-Israel groups, and
they're putting Israeli interests before the city's interests, he said.
Gordon defended the action to remove Ahmad, saying the decision had
nothing to do with religion and free speech.
Gordon said the commission's mission is to advocate and promote
respect and understanding among all groups, but Ahmad delivers a
message of intolerance.
Ahmad was appointed to the commission in 2001 by then-Phoenix Mayor
Skip Rimsza and reappointed by Gordon in 2004. He was removed with
about eight months remaining on his three-year term.
Sabahudin Ceman, the imam minister from the Islamic Center of North
Phoenix, replaced Ahmad on the commission.
Ahmad said he was not notified of the pending council vote, nor was he
informed about the City Council decision after the unanimous vote
Wednesday to remove him.
City officials mailed him a letter Friday.
Some in the Muslim community are calling for an apology from the City
Council and demanding that Ahmad be reinstated on the commission.
Neither is likely to happen.
I'm sorry that some individuals feel an apology is needed, Gordon
said. But as the mayor . . . I believe none is due, and I've taken
appropriate action.
Gordon said anyone who preaches divisiveness can't be allowed on a
city commission because it gives the perception that he is
representing the city with those views.
Mohammed Riyad, a member of American Moderate Muslims for Public
Awareness, said groups are prepared to conduct demonstrations,
strikes, counterelection campaigns and file lawsuits if they don't get
relief.
While critics of the council decision concede that Ceman, Ahmad's
replacement on the board, is a good man, they consider Ahmad's
removal an affront to Muslims.
Gordon said he plans soon to meet with representatives of the Muslim
community.
Abdur-Rahim Shamsiddeen, resident imam of the Jewel of Al-Islam
Masjid, said Ahmad cannot attack people and then sit on a commission
that deals with human beings, all human beings. If Ahmad believes he
was wronged, he can sue, Shamsiddeen said.
http://www.tucsoncitizen.com/daily/local/30382.php
***
{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.ikhwanweb.com
http://www.islamonline.net
http://www.islam-guide.com
http://www.prophetmuhammadforall.org
Boycott Israel [IslamCity] After Pat's Birthday
Friday, October 20, 2006 After Pat's Birthday Pat Tillman's Brother, Kevin Tillman, Speaks Out on His Behalf By Kevin Tillman Posted on Oct 19, 2006 Editor's note: Kevin Tillman joined the Army with his brother Pat in 2002, and they served together in Iraq and Afghanistan. Pat was killed in Afghanistan on April 22, 2004. Kevin, who was discharged in 2005, has written a powerful, must-read document. It is Pat's birthday on November 6, and elections are the day after. It gets me thinking about a conversation I had with Pat before we joined the military. He spoke about the risks with signing the papers. How once we committed, we were at the mercy of the American leadership and the American people. How we could be thrown in a direction not of our volition. How fighting as a soldier would leave us without a voice… until we get out. Much has happened since we handed over our voice:Somehow we were sent to invade a nation because it was a direct threat to the American people, or to the world, or harbored terrorists, or was involved in the September 11 attacks, or received weapons-grade uranium from Niger, or had mobile weapons labs, or WMD, or had a need to be liberated, or we needed to establish a democracy, or stop an insurgency, or stop a civil war we created that can't be called a civil war even though it is. Something like that. Somehow America has become a country that projects everything that it is not and condemns everything that it is.Somehow our elected leaders were subverting international law and humanity by setting up secret prisons around the world, secretly kidnapping people, secretly holding them indefinitely, secretly not charging them with anything, secretly torturing them. Somehow that overt policy of torture became the fault of a few bad apples in the military. Somehow back at home, support for the soldiers meant having a five-year-old kindergartener scribble a picture with crayons and send it overseas, or slapping stickers on cars, or lobbying Congress for an extra pad in a helmet. It's interesting that a soldier on his third or fourth tour should care about a drawing from a five-year-old; or a faded sticker on a car as his friends die around him; or an extra pad in a helmet, as if it will protect him when an IED throws his vehicle 50 feet into the air as his body comes apart and his skin melts to the seat. Somehow the more soldiers that die, the more legitimate the illegal invasion becomes.Somehow American leadership, whose only credit is lying to its people and illegally invading a nation, has been allowed to steal the courage, virtue and honor of its soldiers on the ground. Somehow those afraid to fight an illegal invasion decades ago are allowed to send soldiers to die for an illegal invasion they started.Somehow faking character, virtue and strength is tolerated. Somehow profiting from tragedy and horror is tolerated.Somehow the death of tens, if not hundreds, of thousands of people is tolerated.Somehow subversion of the Bill of Rights and The Constitution is tolerated. Somehow suspension of Habeas Corpus is supposed to keep this country safe.Somehow torture is tolerated. Somehow lying is tolerated.Somehow reason is being discarded for faith, dogma, and nonsense. Somehow American leadership managed to create a more dangerous world. Somehow a narrative is more important than reality. Somehow America has become a country that projects everything that it is not and condemns everything that it is. Somehow the most reasonable, trusted and respected country in the world has become one of the most irrational, belligerent, feared, and distrusted countries in the world.Somehow being politically informed, diligent, and skeptical has been replaced by apathy through active ignorance. Somehow the same incompetent, narcissistic, virtueless, vacuous, malicious criminals are still in charge of this country.Somehow this is tolerated. Somehow nobody is accountable for this.In a democracy, the policy of the leaders is the policy of the people. So don't be shocked when our grandkids bury much of this generation as traitors to the nation, to the world and to humanity. Most likely, they will come to know that somehow was nurtured by fear, insecurity and indifference, leaving the country vulnerable to unchecked, unchallenged parasites. Luckily this country is still a democracy. People still have a voice. People still can take action. It can start after Pat's birthday.Brother and Friend of Pat Tillman,-Kevin Tillman http://www.truthdig.com/report/item/200601019_after_pats_birthday/ -- --G. Waleed Kavalec-Never forget that everything Hitler did in Germany was legal. — Martin Luther King Jr. __._,_.___
Boycott Israel [IslamCity] Israel has open licence to commit crimes!
Khaleej Times Online
News MIDDLE EAST West
Bank Settlers attack Palestinian farmers(AP)25 October 2006 NABLUS, West Bank - West Bank settlers on Wednesday attacked a group of Palestinian farmers with rocks and metal bars, wounding at least three people, in what has become an annual scene of violence during the olive harvest season. Ibrahim Salah said about 30 family members were tending to their field west of Nablus when some 50 settlers descended on the area wielding rocks and metal bars, and some holding guns. He said his son Basel, 31, was hit in the head by a metal bar and taken to a hospital. Witnesses said four others were lightly wounded. Israeli troops arrived shortly after the incident and dispersed the crowd, evacuating Salah to a hospital in an army jeep, the army said. There were no immediate details on his condition. The incident occurred near Havat Gilad, one of two dozen unauthorized outposts the Israeli government has pledged to dismantle. Israeli police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld said three Palestinians and one settler were lightly wounded in Wednesdays violence. He said the farmers did not coordinate
with authorities or arrange an escort, as is customary during the harvest season. Repeated attacks by settlers in recent years have led the army to dispatch troops to protect the farmers during the harvest season. Send instant messages to your online friends http://uk.messenger.yahoo.com
__._,_.___
***
{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.ikhwanweb.com
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.
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Boycott Israel [IslamCity] wasting food
wasting food
A Food and drink are great bounties of Allah Ta`ala. Every grain of food and
every drop of water or any halaal drink must be greatly appreciated. Wasting is
the way of shaitaan. Allah Ta`ala says: Indeed those who waste are the
brothers of shaitaan. Verily shaitaan was most ungrateful to his Rabb (S:17,V:
27). We have been especially warned against wasting food and drink. The
Quraan-ul-Kareem proclaims: Eat and drink and do not waste, verily Allah does
not love those who waste. (S:7, V:31)
GROSS INGRATITUDE
Delibrately wasting even a little food is an act of gross ingratitude.
Ingratitude draws down the wrath of Allah Ta`ala, as is clearly mentioned in
the Quraan: If you are grateful I will grant you increase (in your bounties)
and if your are ungrateful then verily my punishment is very severe. (S: 14,
V: 7)
Wiping the utensil clean with one's finger even of the little specks of food
may be regarded as an act of poor manners by those who are devoid of manners
and etiquette entirely. In Western cultures, and in the minds of those who ape
the West, good etiquette is to waste some food and drink. This is no surprise.
After all, in Western culture if two couples meet, it will be bad manners if
each man does not embrace his friend's wife. When his friend is embraces his
wife, or at least warmly shakes her hand, good western manners will dictate
that he must stand by smiling from ear to ear. It is this very rotten culture
that teaches one that it is good manners to waste the bounties of Allah Ta'ala.
May Allah Ta'ala save us from aping such rotten values.
UTENSIL SEEKS FORGIVENESS
In the beautiful Deen of Islam, true manners and etiquettes have been taught.
Among these etiquettes is to appreciate every ni'mat (bounty) of Allah Ta'ala.
This includes every grain of food and every drop of water. Hence, it was the
practice of Rasulullah (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam) that after eating he would
lick the utensil clean with his finger and not leave behind even a tiny speck
of food and drink. He would even lick his fingers clean of any food particles.
He ordered his followers to also do the same, as has been mentioned in many
Ahadith. In fact, great virtues have been mentioned for this. In a narration of
Tirmizi it has been mentioned that Rasulullah (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam)
said: The one who eats in a plate, then licks it clean (with his finger), the
utensil seeks forgiveness for him. In another narration it is mentioned that
the utensil prays for him in the words: May Allah free you from the fire as
you have freed me from shaitaan (by not leaving
any food behind for shaitaan) (Mishkaat).
***
{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.ikhwanweb.com
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
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Boycott Israel [IslamCity] important article on internal development in Hamas.
Dear members, Assalamu Alaikum. Please see this important article on internal development in Hamas. Shah Abdul Hannan Hamas is being punished for moderate behavior khalid Hroub - London, UK Thursday, October 26, 2006 A remarkable yet mostly overlooked transformation has been taking place within the thinking and political practice of Hamas over the past few years. The process started long before the radical Palestinian movement's victory in the legislative elections of January 25, 2006, in the West Bank and Gaza. Its essence has been a shift in the justification behind Hamas' "hard-line" positions: in particular, from their rejection of any concession over the "land of Palestine" on religious grounds - based on the claim that Palestine is waqf (endowment) for successive Muslim generations which no one has the right to compromise on - to a political and pragmatic argument for this stance. The language may have changed; the policy remains. Hamas' response to demands that it recognize Israel as a precondition of the inclusion of its government into the regional and international system is a consistent, and political one: Israel itself is "borderless" and the country's leaders have never - whatever the current Prime Minister Ehud Olmert proclaims about his ambition for 2010 - clearly identified the borders of their own state, so what is the geographical extent of the Israel that we are asked to recognize? Yet this very line of argument is a key to Hamas' wider transformation; for when Hamas today is asked why it has frozen its jihad against Israel by stopping suicide attacks, its response is to present political (not religious) arguments that link its decision to delicate calculations drawn from the disadvantageous political conditions which surround Hamas as a governing force. Today, when Hamas is involved in a bloody power struggle with the Palestinian president and his Fatah movement, the parameters of this fierce rivalry too are political; no religious pretexts (such as the old Hamas line that the Palestine Liberation Organization [PLO] is in essence secular and un-Islamic) are invoked. The change in the rationalizing of Hamas' positions - gradual and painful though it has been - disconnects the movement from its inheritance of inflexible religious dogma. The shift is in some ways still in the making and still vulnerable to regression, especially under pressure from the regional and international environment. But if Hamas' potential interlocutors were wise, they might realize that dialogue and negotiation with a hard-line political Hamas is in principle far easier than dealing with a hard-line religious Hamas. It seems, however, that "if" can be the biggest word in global politics. For the policies of external players - Israel, the United States, other Western states and Arab governments - are not helping to consolidate Hamas' turn. Rather, their shortsighted policies - especially the imposition of a crippling embargo on its government - threaten to crush the chance for a more politicized and pragmatic organization to emerge. A close examination of the internal and external dynamics affecting Hamas casts light on the nature and potential of its gradual transformation. A vacillation between political and religious impulses is not new in Hamas' thinking and politics. From its inception in 1987-88, Hamas strove hard to harmonize the two currents within its movement: the national-liberationist and the religious-Islamist. These two forces (each combining intellectual and mobilizing elements) were neither necessarily contradictory nor fully harmonious. They would walk hand-in-hand in certain periods, clash at others, or move at a different pace - depending on the conjunctural political conditions. At the same time, across Hamas' rank-and-file, the direction of opinion has been from a "nationalist" to a more "religious" shading. This shift at the base contrasts with that toward a political-nationalist discourse among the hierarchy of the movement. From the outset, Hamas' identity and evolution were deeply influenced by both nationalist and religious agendas. In the context of the political world it emerged into - including Israeli occupation pressures on Palestinian society and politics, and the rise of political Islam across the Middle East in earlier decades - it could hardly be otherwise. In this, Hamas' development echoed that of other Palestinian nationalist movements, such as
Boycott Israel [IslamCity] In Memory of Alia
Defender of the Flag: In Memory of Alia Ansari By Imam Zaid Shakir This past Tuesday, Muslims celebrated `Id al-Fitr, one of Islam's two great festivals. For me, it was a beautiful day that began with a truly warm and vibrant `Id gathering at the Zaytuna Institute. God afforded me a wonderful opportunity to see friends who had been missing in action, to meet enthusiastic new converts to Islam, and to kiss so many babies I felt like a politician. During that time, I was also able to break away from the gathering to visit the graves of some distinguished Muslims buried in a nearby cemetery. Visiting the local Muslim cemetery on `Id day is a practice I have been able to maintain since my earliest years in Islam. They serve as a solemn reminder that all of us have an appointment with the Angel of Death. I was blessed to stay at Zaytuna until the early afternoon when I departed to attend a meeting at a local school, a reminder that we are in America and sometimes, despite our best efforts to clear our schedules on the day of our festivals, the requisites of our everyday duties intervene. After that meeting, I was able to visit some of the Muslim families in the area. All of those visits filled my heart with awe at the simple dignity of ordinary Muslims, many of whom are struggling valiantly to survive in this sometimes cruel, always challenging and complicated society. The last of those visits was to the family of Alia Ansari, the Afghani-American mother of six who was gunned down in central Fremont last Thursday as she walked to pick up her children from school. The Ansari family are everyday people—and, they are proud people. As I talked with Alia's husband, brothers, and cousins who were gathered in the family's humble apartment, it became clear to me that, most of all, they were proud to be Ansaris, descendants of the companion of the Prophet Muhammad, peace upon him, Abu Ayyub al-Ansari, and the great Muslim mystical sage, Khawaja Abdullah Ansari. In Afghan society, they are people who are identified with piety and they endeavor to live up to that identification, in their various ways. Alia Ansari migrated from war-torn Afghanistan at the age of 17. When her father died shortly thereafter, she became a second parent to her younger siblings. A life of hardship could not suppress her inner beauty, expressed most readily in an irrepressible smile. Her husband, Ahmadullah Ansari, an auto mechanic struggling to make ends meet for a family that includes six young children, five of them girls, spoke glowingly of Alia's martyrdom and the place God has reserved for her in Heaven. Her story impressed on me the truth embodied in the words of a poet who said, Be yourself beautiful, and you will find the world full of beauty. Her husband, contrary to the caricature of the vindictive, hateful, enraged Muslim, mentioned how the family did not wish her martyrdom be treated as a hate crime, because he did not want her death to be a source of agitation in the area's large Muslim community. He also mentioned that the family would not want the murderer executed, because that would not bring his wife back. His wife was a martyr, her place in Paradise secure—for him that was enough. His gentle voice was most emphatic when he mentioned that he did not want his wife's death to be politicized. Rather, he wanted her spirit of love and reconciliation to prevail after her passing as it had during her life. He spoke of his desire that her funeral be a solemn service, where people of all faiths could gather to remind each other just how important it is to work to remove the pernicious stain of racial and religious hatred from this society lest it lead to ever deepening spirals of senseless violence. As we sat on the floor of their sparsely furnished living room to eat a meal of traditional Afghan food, our gathering was overseen by four walls decorated with only an unframed picture of the Ka'aba, and a tapestry with Ayatu Kursi, the Qur'anic Verse of the Throne (2:255), printed on it. Husband, brothers, and cousins gathered around to tell me more about just who Alia Ansari was. They spoke proudly of a deeply religious individual who embodied the true spirit of the Ansar, the Helpers. The original Ansar were those Muslims in Medina who welcomed into their city and homes the faithful believers who had migrated from Mecca, fleeing the persecution of that city's population. The Qur'an mentions the spirit the Ansar exhibited in the following terms: As for those who had previously established homes [in Medina], having adopted the faith; they show their love and affection to those who migrated to them [seeking refuge]. You will not find their hearts harboring any desire for that given to those migrants; rather they give preference to them over themselves, even though they are themselves afflicted with grinding poverty. (59:9) Alia was indeed a helper. In addition to her tireless and faithful service to her immediate
Boycott Israel [IslamCity] Along with US and UK, Israel is the third master for M.E.
Qatar treads a thin line by hosting Israeli visit(AP)25 October 2006 DUBAI, United Arab Emirates - News that Qatar may become the first Gulf state to host an Israeli Cabinet minister in 10 years came as no surprise to observers of the tiny country that takes big, bold steps on the international stage. Israeli officials said Wednesday that Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni intends to attend a UN conference in the Qatari capital Doha next week. The
official Qatar News Agency said Wednesday the government had not confirmed Livnis attendance, which Israeli officials described as tentative. Middle East analysts said Qatars dalliance with Israel puts it squarely in opposition to public opinion and government policy across the Gulf, where Israel is vilified for its military offensives in Lebanon and the Palestinian Territories. Israels 34-day campaign against Hezbollah guerrillas in Lebanon this summer left more than a thousand people dead, mainly civilians. People here blame the Israelis for 95 or 99 percent of these problems, said Muhammad Al Musfir, a political scientist at Qatar University. No
government will dare to have an open discussion with the Israelis without concessions. Livnis visit would be the most high-profile Israeli visit to the Gulf since then-Prime Minister Shimon Peres traveled to Doha in 1996. While Israel has a trade mission in Qatar and has had similar low-level ties with Oman, it has no official relations with any of the other Gulf states, which have long ostracized the Jewish state. A political science professor at Kuwait University, Abdullah Sahar, said Qatar had invited the Israeli foreign minister for its own strategic reasons. Qataris feel they are under the tent of Saudi Arabia and they are trying to get out of it, Sahar said. However, distinguishing themselves by having ties with Israel in this tense situation is for most people akin to a type of political prostitution. Last year Qatar made waves in the Arab world when its foreign minister met his Israeli counterpart, Silvan Shalom, on the margin of a UN General Assembly meeting in New York. At a press conference afterward, Qatari Foreign Minister Foreign Minister Sheik Hamad bin Jassem Al Thani urged Arab countries to make gestures toward Israel after its withdrawal from the Gaza Strip. Al Musfir played down the significance of Qatars invitation to Livni, saying it would have been handled by the United Nations and extended to all 192 member-states. Send instant messages to your online friends http://uk.messenger.yahoo.com
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{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]
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Recommended:
http://www.ikhwanweb.com
http://www.islamonline.net
http://www.islam-guide.com
http://www.prophetmuhammadforall.org
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Boycott Israel [IslamCity] Nick Fieding on Ikhwan and on Panel discussion on it in New York-- Ikhwa web.com
International (MB in Press) Which Will It Be, Stability or Democracy? Nick Fielding, Antiwar.com - Redwood City,CA, US Thursday, October 26, 2006 The Muslim Brotherhood is probably one of the most important organizations in the Islamic world, so I was delighted when I was asked recently to take part in a public meeting at New York University's Center for Law and Security to debate whether or not the U.S. government should be talking to them. Despite its mass support in countries such as Egypt and Jordan (where it is the official opposition), the Brotherhood has been largely ignored by Western policymakers, despite its opposition to the extremists of al-Qaeda and other Salafist organizations The panel was chaired by CNN terrorism analyst Peter Bergen, and my fellow speakers included Alexis Debat, senior fellow at the Nixon Center, and Dr. Abdel Monem Abo el-Fotouh, senior member of the Muslim Brotherhood Guidance Council in Egypt and general secretary of the Arabic Medical Union. A week or so before the event on Oct. 19, it became clear that Fotouh was not going to be granted a visa to enter the U.S. On short notice, Dr. Kamal el-Helbawy, founding president of the Muslim Association of Britain and former spokesman for the Brotherhood in Europe, agreed to take part in his place. Helbawy is a much-respected figure in Britain, where he has been one of the guiding lights behind the reorganization of the notorious Finsbury Park mosque, once the haunt of Abu Hamza and his band of die-hard Islamist extremists. Whereas once the mosque was a center for indoctrination of the worst kind of jihadist propaganda, the mosque today is once again serving its community, with up to 1,000 attending Friday prayers. It was only when I arrived in New York the day before the meeting that I was told Helbawy had been taken from the plane at Heathrow shortly before takeoff and interviewed by an official from the U.S. Homeland Security. "The individual was inadmissible to enter the U.S.," said U.S. Customs and Borders Protection spokeswoman Kelly Klundt. "I can't speak specifically to this case as to why he was inadmissible." Despite the absence of two prominent members of the Brotherhood on a platform that aimed to explain the organization's policies to the public, the meeting went ahead. More than 200 people turned out to listen to an excellent discussion, which was, however, impoverished by the unwillingness of U.S. authorities to allow two renowned moderates to put forward their views. Speaking at the American University of Cairo in June last year, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said, "For 60 years, my country, the United States, pursued stability at the expense of democracy in this region here in the Middle East and we achieved neither. Now we are taking a different course. We are supporting the democratic aspirations of all people." Fine words, but only a few months later, in the light of the Egyptian elections, they began to ring hollow. Although still a banned organization, Brotherhood candidates standing as independents won 88 seats 20 percent of the total. This was despite the fact that the Brotherhood stood in only 150 out of 454 constituencies. In the second and third rounds, more than 1,000 Brotherhood members were arrested, many thousands more were prevented
Boycott Israel [IslamCity] Muslims are put in concentration camps
Khaleej TimKhaleej Times Online News THE WORLD CIA tried to quell EU protest over rendition flights(AFP)26 October 2006 LONDON - The US Central Intelligence Agency attempted to persuade Germany to quell European Union protests over the human rights record of one of Americas allies in its secret rendition flights programme, The Guardian reported on Thursday. Citing a secret intelligence report prepared for the German parliament last
February, the newspaper reported that the CIA offered to allow Germany access to one of its citizens, an Al Qaeda suspect arrested in connection with the September 11, 2001 attacks and being held in a Moroccan cell. In return US agents demanded Germany avert pressure from EU over human rights abuses there, describing Morocco as a valuable partner in the fight against terrorism. The suspect was flown from Morocco to Syria on a rendition flight, where Syria offered access to him in return for the dropping of charges against Syrian intelligence agents in
Germany. Germany dropped the charges, but denied any link. The secret intelligence report makes clear that Germany did eventually get to see the suspect, who was arrested in 2002 in Morocco. A Council of Europe report issued earlier this year concluded the United States had used a spiders web of bases around the world for extraordinary rendition the covert transfer of suspects to US-run detention centres OR third countries, many of which are accused by rights organisations of torturing inmates.Khaleej Times Online News THE WORLD CIA tried to quell EU protest over rendition flights(AFP)26 October 2006 Send instant messages to your online friends http://uk.messenger.yahoo.com
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***
{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.ikhwanweb.com
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.
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