Boycott Israel [IslamCity] War on Veil - A Civilising Mission Unveiled - C.P. Bhambhri (The Indian Express)

[Alan Border]

“While Appreciating Mr. Bhambhri’s Views on the Veil We Need to Remind Him that 
His Government has Allowed Taslima Nasrin to Carry Out Her Anti Veil Propaganda 
from the Comforts of the Indian Soil Without Any Restrictions. Shouldn’t He 
First Clean Up the Dirt in His Own Backyard Before Venturing Out to Advise the 
West.” - AB
  A Civilising Mission Unveiled - C.P. Bhambhri  
   
  The Indian Express
  Posted online: Saturday, January 20, 2007 at  hrs
  http://www.indianexpress.com/story/21275.html
   
  The campaign against the veil in the West is propelled by an empire building 
agenda
   
  The ruling Labour Party in the UK has launched a sustained campaign against 
Muslim women wearing the burqa, on the basis of a very disingenuous argument 
that it is a symbol of ‘separate and distinct identity’, which obstructs 
‘social cohesion and integration’ of the community with mainstream British 
society. 
   
  Labour leaders, including Gordon Brown who is at present in India, have made 
tall claims about the essence of British democracy lying in its tolerance of 
diversity. If Britain is indeed the home of ‘great democratic values’, Muslim 
women in that country should be allowed to choose whether they wish to wear the 
veil or not. 
   
  What justification can there possibly be for the growing intolerance of 
diverse cultural freedoms in the home of ‘democracies’? It should be clearly 
understood that the whole social context in Western democracies has become 
quite inhospitable, unfriendly, even hostile, towards Muslims, particularly 
after the terror attacks of September 11, 2001. 
   
  Samuel Huntington’s totally flawed notion of the clash of civilisations has 
become a harsh reality for an increasingly intolerant West. Following the 
history of First Principles, Western democracies are increasingly imposing 
majoritarian values on their minorities. There is no other rationale for 
targeting the ‘Other Muslim’ except that he/ she has to be made to conform to 
‘superior’ Western values.
   
  In this country, we had Hindu rashtravadis also believing that in Hindu 
India, Muslims or Christians have to ‘integrate’ themselves with the country’s 
mainstream cultural ethos. The majority thus becomes the custodian of 
‘universal cultural values’ and the minority is expected to conform to them. 
   
  Islam has become a whipping boy in Western countries, and every undemocratic 
and anti-democratic activity gets justified in the name of fighting terrorism, 
which has become synonymous with anti-Islamism. The growing intolerance of 
cultural diversities in Western countries is either a product of a ‘fear 
complex’ or a desire to completely ‘homogenise’ their societies on the basis of 
their self-belief that their cultural values are ‘superior’ to all other 
cultures, especially Islamic culture. 
   
  Incidentally, it has been an integral part of Western empire building to 
impose ‘superior’ cultural values over the colonised, ‘barbarian’ hordes. The 
last decade of the 20th century and the beginning of the 21st century has 
witnessed a revival of the old dream of empire building, and wars are being 
waged to ‘export democracy’ to the ‘barbarian’, Oriental world. 
   
  This is the real explanation for the demand that Muslims should behave and 
live like the majority community in their adopted countries. The White Man’s 
civilising mission is back on the agenda. The wearing of a veil is not the real 
issue. The real issue is the hegemonising mission of empire builders like Bush 
and Blair.
  
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
  AB
 [EMAIL PROTECTED]  
"For to us 
will be their return; then it will be for us to call them to account." (Holy 
Quran 88:25-26)

 
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Boycott Israel [IslamCity] Crying Silently... Poor Earth!

[Student .]

With the name of Allah; the Beneficent, the Merciful.
--
Praise be to Allah, Lord of the Worlds. And Peace be upon His Prophets and
Messengers.

And May Peace be upon those who are being killed unjustly and on those who
are being tortured wrongly, in this 'Modern' 'Caring' 'Unified' World.


Assalamu 'alalikum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuh,

Feelings are the primary things that remind us about our existence, that we
live (awareness). Many of us have seen some people hiding their sorrow and
worries but we always see a smile :) on their faces. We might have also seen
how a mother reacts when her child is separated from her, she is not going
to tolerate it and she will do whatever she can to take her child back.
Similarly; animals, birds, plants & other creatures have feelings like we
humans do. Try to touch a baby-animal and see the mother's reaction! They
also smile and get angry, like we do. After all, they are also created by
the same creator who has created us, the Best Creator, Allahu ta'aala.

So what actually distinguishes human being from other creatures? We also
hear that 'humans' are the best creatures! However, there are many other
creatures that are far better than us. For example, we don't have as
keen-EYES as of eagles' eys, we don't have as smart EARS as horses have,
we can't smell better than dogs do, we don't even sense as far ahead as
animals do (ie: before disasters come). Other creatures also have emotions,
they also ful-fill their promises, they can be very patient and they are
very much reliable than human beings. Don't we know how horses run fast into
the bloody battles, without saying "O master, i am afraid to get into this
crazy battle... I am leaving you here...Please get off me and join that
chaos alone..." There are many other amazing things in non-human-beings, for
example the ultra-tiny-brain of a tiny little ant! Ants are very smart
indeed and they carry weights havier than their bodies! We also know that
this tiny creature is very organised and civilized! By-the-way, it is worth
mentioning a very nice website, which probably many of us already know, it
is http://www.harunyahya.com/ and may peace be upon those people working in
that website.

Again, what is special in us (human beings)? Basically, *human beings are
very flexible*. We can shape ourselves to whatever we want. We can increase
our senses and praise our Lord or we can act like dead bodies (staring in
front of TVs for hours and for nothing) or become brutal arrogant (worse
than devils). This is just a brief distinction and I encourage you to spend
some time yourself, figuring out, to complete the picture [answers without
brain-reaction is like not-gaining-much, right? :) ].


Now coming back to the main subject. Planet Earth has been serving the
children of Adam ('alaihi salam) as well as many other creatures that live
on it, for the sake of its Creator. This giant creature has witnessed all
that has been happened on it and all that is happening right now. Events
such as:

  - Children being slaughtered in front of their parents
  - Women being raped
  - Starving & dying little kids
  - Masaajid (Mosques) and other places of worship being bombed
  - Murderers of 100 people judging the one who murdered 2 people. Or
  the biggest terrorists solving the cases for the "global security" [this
  sounds really funny but in reality -- thorns hurt! In fact a very popular
  story of Prophet Jesus (peace be upon him) is important to recall, when
  people were asking the Prophet to punish a woman (by the law). Those
  people were themselves in bigger sins, so how could they punish a woman who
  committed a small sin (relative to them)! We should take a lesson. ]
  - Nukes & other weapons savagely ruining people, their lives and other
  creatures!
  - People argueing foolishly about ArRahmaan! The Greatest of all!
  Creator of this vast universe!
  - and the list goes on and on... you name it, we have it!


As said at the beginning, other creatures have feelings and they also
praise their Lord (Allahu Ta'ala). Is here anyone who can bear witnessing a
woman, being raped in front of him/her and doing nothing? Well, this poor
Earth is one of those who witness those scenes and bear this silently.

This same Earth has had cried loudly when things got worse. Need to mention
the story of Prophet Noah/Nuh ('alaihi salam)? A story which is mentioned in
many scriptures (as Naunet, Manu, Nuwa, Ziusudra etc)! When the tears
were rising up from the ground and the flood crushed every single
transgressor! Who knows it might soon happen to us too, if we continue like
this?

This Earth has already taken so many people inside it and there is till a
lot of room for every single one of us alive here! One of the most certain
event is definitely death, and it can happen any time. Young ones have
tasted it but extremly sick ones escaped it (temporarily). We all have to
die one day and everyone of us will leave behind all the

Boycott Israel [IslamCity] Agents of Influence

[rafeswhiterose]

Agents of Influence

By Robert Dreyfuss
Continues, Here:
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article16234.htm


01/20/07 "TheNation
 " -   Did Ariel
Sharon, the Prime Minister of Israel, run acovert program with
operatives in high-level USgovernment positions to influence the
BushAdministration's decision to go to war in Iraq? The FBI
wants to know.
That's the story behind the latest Washington spyscandal,
involving Israel, the American Israel PublicAffairs Committee
(AIPAC) and a mid-level civilianPentagon employee allegedly
caught red-handed trying todeliver US secrets to the Israelis.
It's not a routine spy case. According to sourcesfamiliar with
the investigation, the FBI is looking at agroup of
neoconservatives who have occupied senior postsat the White
House, the Pentagon and in Vice PresidentCheney's office. It's
not that they are supporters ofIsrael--no crime there--but that
some of them might beconspirators in a clandestine operation
launched bySharon's Likud Party. They make up the very network
ofideologues--from civilians at the Defense Department to   
fellow travelers at right-wing think tanks--who havebeen accused
of pushing George W. Bush into war. Thepoint of the probe,
sources believe, is not to examinethe push to war but rather to
ascertain whether Sharonrecruited or helped place in office
people whoknowingly, and secretly, worked with him to affect the
direction of US policy in the Middle East. The mostlikely
targets of the inquiry are Douglas Feith, UnderSecretary of
Defense for Policy, and Harold Rhode of thePentagon's Office of
Net Assessment.

Boycott Israel [IslamCity] The Answers Have Changed

[G.Waleed Kavalec]

The Answers Have Changed

*By:Miko Peled (is an Israeli living in San Diego. He is the son of Israeli
General Matityahu Peled)*

*http://www.zmag.org/content/showarticle.cfm?ItemID=11822
*

It is said of Albert Einstein that he gave a particular exam to a class that
had already been given that exam. Alarmed at what he saw and thinking it to
be the result of the professor's absent-mindedness, an assistant warned
Einstein of what he was about to do. The Professor just smiled and said:
It's alright the answers have changed. The same thing goes for the Israeli
Palestinian conflict, the questions remain the same but now sixty years
after the establishment of the Jewish State, the answers have changed.

Until about ten years ago the answer to the question of how to achieve a
lasting peace in the Middle East was clear: Allowing the Palestinians to
establish a free, independent state in the West Bank and Gaza, alongside
Israel. But this answer known as the "Two State Solution" belongs to a
reality that no longer exists. Today, after 40 years of occupation the West
Bank is riddled with settlements and highways designated for Jews only;
Palestinians in the West bank and Gaza are imprisoned within a wall,
impoverished and starved and there is no political will within Israel to
partition the land of Israel and allow Palestinian independence - all of
which indicate that clearly the answers have changed.

So what is the answer to this very difficult question? Ten million people
reside between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea.
Approximately 5.5million Jewish Israelis and
4.5 million Palestinians, all ruled by the state of Israel, the Jewish
State. The conditions under which Palestinians live range between being
third class citizens within Israel, and living under a military occupation
with no representation, no human rights and no civil rights. Clearly this
cannot go on forever and at some point Israel will be forced to grant the
Palestinians equal rights. What remains to be seen is whether this will come
as a result of intense violence and bloodshed or a negotiated agreement.

Two books that have come out in recent months are relevant to this conflict
and both of them demonstrate that there is a tremendous amount of change in
the air. The first book that has received a great deal of attention is
"Palestine, Peace Not Apartheid" by former US President and staunch Israel
supporter, Jimmy Carter. This book has opened the door for the first time
for a serious debate in the US regarding the Palestinian tragedy. In a
development that is almost unparalleled, a former US President characterizes
Israeli rule in the West Bank and Gaza as apartheid. Since the book came out
the debate has indeed been intense and there are no signs that this will
change any time soon.

The second book is "The Ethnic Cleansing of Palestine" by Israeli historian
Illan Pappe. Categorizing the destruction of Palestine in the years
1947-1949 as ethnic cleansing is not new perhaps but it is worthy of mention
because it is becoming more widely accepted. Pappe's book, difficult though
it is due to its detailed accounts, provides an opportunity for an in-depth
study of the destruction of the Palestinian people and their homeland at the
hands of the Jewish forces during the Israeli War of Independence. What
might come as news to many Jewish people around the world and to many non
Jewish Israel supporters is that it was in the aftermath of this campaign of
ethnic cleansing that the State of Israel was established upon the ruins of
Palestine.

What becomes apparent from reading the two books is that what Carter
describes is congruent with what is described in Pappe's book. In other
words, current Israeli policy towards the Palestinians is an extension of
the ethnic cleansing policies of the early years of the conflict.

One may argue over details in both Carter's book and Pappe's book, but one
cannot argue with the facts that the books describe: Between the end of 1947
and the beginning of 1949, a time that Israel calls the War of Independence,
close to 800,000 Palestinians were forced into exile and Palestinian
identity in Palestine was almost entirely wiped out. Today, Israel continues
to deny Palestinian identity, not to mention Palestinian independence both
within the boundaries of the State of Israel and within the occupied
territories.

One possible answer to the difficult question of the Israeli Palestinian
conflict could be drawn from the fact that Israel, by ruling over two
nations is already a bi-national state. The solution could be to replace the
current system whereby only Israeli Jews enjoy the freedoms and rights of
full citizenry, with one that will allow Palestinians to enjoy those rights
as well. This will create a fully democratic state in which both Israelis
and Palestinians live as 

Boycott Israel [IslamCity] Fatah mecca: Idols and Painting destroyed by rasool ullah (saw)

[adil naveed]

Is it true that the Prophet (saw) had destroyed all idols and paintings, EXCEPT 
for those that pertained to Prophet Isa and Mariam (peace be upon them)? 
  I have read that when the Prophet (saw) had finally made his move in taking 
over Mecca as it leader, one of his first actions was to destroy the idols in 
the House of God. If the above is true, could you please refer me to an 
original source/text that describes these events? Any other recommedations of 
excellent books on the biography of the Prophet (saw) that are in English would 
be appreciated. 
Answer 179592006-08-10
 





  
 
  
 
  
 
  
 
  _uacct = "UA-548328-1"; urchinTracker();  var sc_project=1777331; 
 var sc_invisible=1;  var sc_partition=16;  var sc_security="6c4a1dbb"; 

   
   ask-imam.com  -->  Nabi [sallallaahu alayhi wasallam] 
marched against the Makkans after their break of the treaty of Hudaybiyah. The 
day the Muslims were blessed with victory is known as ‘Yawmul Fath’. On this 
day, the Ka’abah returned to its original form, free from the pollution of the 
pagans (polytheists). Rasulullah [sallallaahu alayhi wasallam] saw to the 
destruction and removal of all the paintings and statues. 

Ibn Abbaas [radhiallaahu anhu] narrates that Nabi [sallallaahu alayhi wasallam] 
entered the house (Ka’bah) wherein he found the picture of Maryam and Ibraaheem 
(alayhimus salaam). Nabi [sallallaahu alayhi wasallam] thereafter mentioned, 
‘As for them, they had heard that the Angels do not enter a house contain 
pictures.’ (Bukhari vol.4 Hadith3351) 

The above contains some important points: 
1. Ibraahim (alayhimus salaam)and Maryam (alayhimus salaam)knew that picture 
making is forbidden. 
2. Angels do not enter a house containing pictures; 
3. Ibraahim (alayhimus salaam)and Maryam (alayhimus salaam)are not responsible 
for the pictures made of them. 

In another narration, ibn Abbaas [radhiallaahu anhu] narrates, ‘When Nabi 
[sallallaahu alayhi wasallam] saw pictures (idols) in the Ka’bah, he did not 
enter till he gave a decree for their destruction. Thereafter, they were erased 
and Nabi [sallallaahu alayhi wasallam] saw Ibraahim and Ismail (alayhimus 
salaam) within divining arrows in their hands. Nabi [sallallaahu alayhi 
wasallam] said, ‘May Allah destroy them, I take an oath on Allah that they 
(Ibraahim and Ismail (alayhimus salaam)never predicted the future with diving 
arrows.’ (Ibid) 

In another Hadith, Jaabir (alayhimus salaam) mentions that there were pictures 
in the Ka’bah. Nabi [sallallaahu alayhi wasallam] commanded Umar [radhiallaahu 
anhu] to erase them. Umar (alayhimus salaam)went with a cloth and erased them 
with the cloth. Nabi (alayhimus salaam)entered the Ka’bah and there were no 
pictures remaining. (Musnad Ahmad vol.3 Hadith396) 

and Allah Ta'ala Knows Best 

Mufti Ebrahim Desai 


 
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Boycott Israel [IslamCity] Open Discussion with Dr. Ingrid Mattson, Professor of Islamic Studies and First Female ISNA President

[S A Hannan]

  Session Details  
  Guest Name Dr. Ingrid  Mattson, Professor of Islamic Studies and First 
Female ISNA President  
  Subject Open Discussion with ISNA President  
  Date  Thursday,Jan 18 ,2007  
  Time  Makkah 
  From... 16:15...To... 17:45 
  GMT 
  From... 13:15...To...14:45 
 

  Name Host-   
  Profession  
  Answer 
  The session has just started. Please feel free to join us with your 
questions. 

  After the session has ended, you can view the whole dialogue by clicking 
Recent Sessions, or later on Archive . 

  For feedback and suggestions, please e-mail us at [EMAIL PROTECTED] 

  Yours, 

  Islamonline Live Dialogue Editing Desk 

 

  Name Doaa-   
  Profession  
  Question  
  Assalamu`alykum sister Dr. Mattson. Can you please tell me the biggest 
event that happened to you over the last year and how much impact it had on 
you? 

 
  Answer 
  Wa`alaykum As-Salamu warahamtullah Doaa: 

  Obviously, my election to the ISNA presidency has had a big impact on my 
life. Although I served for two terms as Vice President previously, the 
election to the presidency brought a lot of media attention. I have been 
pleasantly surprised that most of this has been positive and has provided me 
with a good opportunity to clarify many misconceptions about Islam and Muslims. 
It has shown me that there are many people who really are interested in having 
accurate information about who we are and what we believe. 

 

  Name Akhtar Ali-   
  Profession student  
  Question  
  Some people think women are not usually capable of heading big 
organizations. How could you see this in light of your new position as the 
first female ISNA president? 

 
  Answer 
  I believe women as a group have the ability to manage as well (or as 
poorly!) as men. We need to judge people on their individual skills and 
capacities, and not make assumptions about them based on their gender. 

  I know that many people worry that women who have heavy responsibilities 
such as this will neglect their families. The reality is that it is true of men 
as well as women. We all need to give our families and relationships the 
attention they need. But our families are our first, not our last 
responsibility. Collectively, we have the responsibility of improving the 
world. Allah the most high says, "The believing men and the believing women are 
supporters of one another: they enjoin what is good, 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." (Surat At-Tawbah 10: 71) 

  I have been blessed by Allah that I have a husband who is my partner in 
our family responsibilities, as well as in our community work. 

 

  Name iman- Canada  
  Profession  
  Question  
  Thank you sister for taking my question. Could you tell me what do you 
think we Muslims can do to better reach our non-Muslim friends and neighbours. 
What do you think they need to know most about Islam? 

 
  Answer 
  As-Salamu `alaykum sister Iman: 

  We cannot blame our non-Muslim neighbors for being anxious about Muslims 
- look at the news they are getting! Studies have shown, however, that most 
North Americans who have a personal connection with a Muslim - as a coworker, 
neighbor or friend - have a positive view of Islam and Muslims. What we need to 
do first, therefore, is to be open to others. If we hide away in our Muslim 
communities and do not make a real human connection with others, we are wasting 
a valuable opportunity (not to mention our own need to learn from others). 

  Where Muslims are a minority, it is difficult to ensure that everyone has 
this positive connection. That is why we also have to organize outreach 
programs in our Islamic centers and other places. But it is important that you 
yourself are prepared to think deeply about the issues you will be asked. What 
do you really believe about freedom of religion, freedom of speech, and the 
other issues most non-Muslims care about, and are afraid that Muslims neglect? 

 

  Name Sister-   
  Profession  
  Question  
  As-Salamu `alaykum dear sister, I am very much impressed and proud that 
we have such a wonderful woman like you and you are such an inspiration. 

  If there was one thing you wish you could accomplish that would make you 
feel like you really made a difference for the Muslim community, what would you 
do? 

  And also we would like to invite you to speak in our community how can we 
contact you for that. 

  Jazakullah Khair 

  Your Sister in Islam Aneerah Ali 

 
  Answer 
  Wa`alaykum As-Salamu warahamtullah sister Aneerah: 

  May Allah bless you

Boycott Israel [IslamCity] Prophet's Manners

[saiyed shahbazi]

Prophet's Manners
   
  He was the most generous, the most valorous, the gentlest. He cast his 
eyes down more often than up, and appeared shyer than a well-sheltered young 
girl. When someone came to him with a happy face, he would take his hand.
  When gifts were brought to him, he would ask if they were alms or gifts. He 
would accept the gifts and decline the alms. Yet the gifts did not stay in his 
hand or his house for very long. He would give them away.
  He used to take off his shoes when he sat down, and bend and gather the skirt 
of his robe. He would always sit on the floor with his knees pulled up to his 
chest.
  He would stay silent for long periods and laugh little, yet he had a sense of 
humor and liked to see others smile. When he met with his people he would first 
give them the greeting of peace and blessings and them embrace them. Caressing 
them, he would pray for them. When he was with other people he would not leave 
their company until they left, and when he took someone's hand, he wouldn't 
withdraw his hand until the other person released it. When someone whispered 
into his ear something that he did not want others to hear, he would not pull 
his face away until the other did.
  He was very compassionate and loving, especially to women and children. When 
he promised something to someone, he would fulfill his promise without fail at 
the first opportunity.
  When he sat with his people, they sat around him in a circle, and in love and 
fascination they would be so quiet and still that if a bird had sat on they 
heads, it would not have flown away.
  As he spoke, he often lifted his eyes to the heavens. When something that 
greatly pleased him was announced to him, he would immediately prostrate as a 
gesture of thankfulness to Allah, and his face would shine like the full moon. 
When he began speaking he would always smile.
  In all his relationships he never caused two people to be angry at each other 
or to have to defend themselves. Whenever he was asked for something, he would 
give it if he had it. If he did not have it, he would not refuse, but would not 
respond. He never said no. When he was asked to do something, if it was 
possible he would say yes. If it was not possible, he would keep silent. He did 
not approach nor listen to people from whom he expected to hear bad talk, and 
he did not accept people's talking against each other.
  He spoke very clearly, separating each word, so that one could easily count 
each word if one cared to. When he spoke publicly he would repeat each sentence 
three times to make sure that it was well understood, but he would not repeat 
it again.
  He did not like people who were loud and rude. He preferred people who spoke 
softly. He also did not like people who asked too many questions.
  He smelled beautiful. From his perfume, which would precede him, people knew 
that he was coming. Since his perfume lingered, people would know when he had 
been in a place.
  - Shaykh Tosun Bayrak, On the Holy Prophet Muhammad (Appendix from Ibn 'Arabi 
The Tree of Being) 




saiyed shahbazi
  www.shahbazcenter.org

Boycott Israel [IslamCity] What Islamists Think - And Why It Doesn't Work

[saiyed shahbazi]

A few days ago, I got into conversation with an Islamist brother, and somewhat 
predictably, the conversation swiftly fell down some well-trodden paths. It was 
my duty as a Muslim, I was told, to work towards the full implementation of 
shariah, and to at least hope for the arrival one day of an Islamic State - if 
not actively working towards bringing it about.

The perceptive reader will have already discerned from this very short history 
that I was speaking to a representative of Hizb-ut-Tahrir, or whatever it's 
calling itself nowadays since it's been proscribed. Has it been banned? Not 
certain, but either way it's not flavour of the month down at the Metropolitan 
Police.

Nor was it ever flavour of the month among true scholars of Islam. I remember 
when I was at university, I had a long conversation with the shaykh of the Dar 
ul-Uloom in Oxford, the most inspirational Shaykh Riyad al-Nadwi. I vividly 
remember he and I walking around the gardens of Wadham College after an event 
had heckled and hindered by HT crazies, and him railing at "the arrogance, the 
cheek of a people who believe they can take Islam as a tool, and to reduce the 
means to attaining salvation into some facile phrases of a political 
programme." Shaykh Riyad has since created his own thinktank, the Oxford 
Cross-Cultural Research Institute, and although I'm not certain I fully agree 
with his own political programme, certainly gives useful pauses for thought. 

HT are the far-end of the spectrum of Islamist sympathisers in this country, 
but the spectrum itself is not a small one. To a greater or lesser extent, I 
believe most Muslims in this country - particularly among the unthinking 
majority - would agree with some of their pronouncements. I think most young 
Muslims, if questioned persistently, would indeed say that they think that 
nationalist politics in the Muslim and non-Muslim world has failed, and that 
Islam itself should be "given a chance" to heal divisions. The references one 
would expect to be given here are to the Muslim Brotherhood's charitable and 
social work, and as long a blind eye conveniently turned away from their 
factional, military and sectional adventures, also Hamas and Hizbullah. A 
little further down the spectrum, many others would agree with the principle 
that the "Qur'an should be the highest law", and that Muslims should be ruled 
by the shariah. Yet further are others who would agree that life would be
 fairer if there was an Islamic court system - a qadi - to resolve disputes 
between Muslims, and the braver ones if pushed a little further might suggest 
that the hudud punishments might be no bad thing as a deterrent to the "rampant 
crime" of the Western world. The bravest of all might suggest that Muslim 
countries should join together as one ummah in order to create a single country 
ruled by the word of God.

No matter how far they are down this spectrum, it always seems to me that there 
is a crucial set of shared assumptions among Islamists, about the relationship 
of the State and society, and the proper way of implementing Islam.

Shared assumptions among Islamists

The first crucial shared assumption that many people have is that Islam 
requires imposition. This seems to me a particularly unfortunate philosophical 
idea that the Islamists - notably Qutb, Mawdudi and Ayman al-Zawahiri - took 
not from Islamic history and practice but from the contemporaneous world of 
Communism and Marxist thought. In particular, there are close parallels between 
Qutb's model of Islamism and Lenin's writings. Both show lack of faith in the 
people's capacity to seize power themselves, requiring the actions of a 
revolutionary elite to seize power for it. As any GCSE student knows, the 
Russian Marxist party split in 1903 into two camps, the bigger one (Bolsheviks) 
followed Lenin's proposal that the party membership be restricted to a small 
core of professional revolutionaries. Sympathisers and fellow travellers might 
be welcome, but the revolution should not require them. This is not to say that 
Qutb's Islamist vanguard should be equated too far with
 Bolshevism - indeed Qutb detested Communism as yet another Western-invented 
ideology designed to distract people from the Islamic solution. But both start 
from the view that a hardcore of political professionals should lead the 
ignorant masses to what they hoped would be a better future. 

The second shared assumption is that "Islam is enough", and that the Qur'an and 
sunna contain all the wisdom that is needed to run an ideal society. Qutb's 
classic Ma'alim fi-l-Tariq set out most clearly the claim that the shariah is a 
"way of life… based on submission to God alone", which covers the entire scope 
of human existence from belief, to administration and justice, right the way to 
principles of art and science. This is a claim I've heard amplified many a time 
by preachers and sermonisers on a Friday, such as the one who told us last week

Boycott Israel [IslamCity] Oil, not terrorists, the reason for US attack on Somalia

[Ismail Kashkash]

  Oil, not terrorists, the reason for US attack on Somalia 

Story by WANJOHI KABUKURU 
Publication Date: 1/22/2007   
JUST WHY DID THE US ATTACK Somalia two weeks ago? Of course, the answer given 
for the US military intervention and the generally accepted notion is the hunt 
for terrorists. But is it?  Are terrorists the only bone of contention the 
US has with Somalia? When the US military devised “Operation Restore Hope” in 
1993 which was short-lived after they were whipsawed by rag-tag militia in and 
around Mogadishu, were they fighting the ‘war on terror’?   They couldn’t have 
been because this war was to start much later, If anything it is a post-Sept 11 
phenomenon. So then why did the US bomb ICU extremists in the name of Al Qaeda 
terrorists and not throughout last year when they occupied Mogadishu?   Just 
why is Somalia so important to the US, and by extension the big boys of Europe 
and some Gulf states?   A UN Somalia Monitoring Group report released in 
November 2005 reveals that a dozen countries, namely Yemen, Djibouti, Libya, 
Egypt, Kazakhstan, Ethiopia, Iran, Syria, Eritrea,
 Lebanon, Saudi Arabia and Uganda were all poking their noses into the Somalia 
pie.  What the UN Somalia Monitoring Group didn’t reveal, however, is that 
these were not the only countries which were interested in the country.  
The little known yet well-heeled contact group, consisting of Norway, the US, 
UK, France and Tanzania (just an appendage) are also deeply enmeshed in 
Somalia.  While the terrorism theory holds some water, the reality of the 
factors contributing to the mess in Somalia is pegged on natural resources. Oil 
and gas are Somalia’s Achilles heel. It is an open secret that four US oil 
giants are sitting pretty on money-spinning concessions expecting to reap huge 
windfalls from massive resources of both oil and gas in Somalia.  The story 
of Somalia and oil goes back to the colonial period. British and Italian 
geologists first identified oil deposits during that period of imperialism. 
 The first oil wells historically referred to as the Daga
 Shabell series were dug in the 1960s. Tiny gas discoveries adjacent to Socotra 
were also noted..   The race for these precious natural resources took a 
new turn in 1988, when the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the 
World Bank, with the support of the governments of Britain, France and Canada 
and backed by several Western oil companies financed a regional hydrocarbon 
study of the countries bordering the Red Sea and the Gulf of Eden.   The 
countries were Somalia, Ethiopia and Saudi Arabia. Saudi Arabia was later 
dropped, but not before it had been established that within the study area, 
massive deposits of oil and gas existed.   The results of the findings were 
presented to a three-day American Association of Petroleum Geologists, Eastern 
Hemisphere group conference, in London in September, 1991. Is there oil in 
Somalia? Listen to the answer:   “It’s there. There’s no doubt there’s oil 
there,” said geologist Thomas E. O’Connor, the World Bank’s
 principal petroleum engineer, who steered the in-depth, three-year study of 
oil prospects in Somalia’s Gulf of Eden in the northern coastal region.  
The study was intended to encourage private investment in the petroleum 
potential of eight African nations. The conclusions of their findings are quite 
telling as the geologists put Somalia and Sudan at the top of the list of 
prospective commercial oil producers.  While presenting their results 
during the conference, two geologists involved in the study (an American and an 
Egyptian) reported that the investigation of nine exploratory wells dug in 
Somalia pointed out that the region was “situated within the oil window, and 
thus (is) highly prospective for gas and oil.”  Geologist, Z. R. Beydoun, 
who was involved in the survey, noted that “the geological parameters conducive 
to the generation, expulsion and trapping of significant amounts of oil and 
gas” were within the offshore sites. Soon after a race for lucrative
 deals kicked off in earnest.  Four US oil companies, namely Conoco, 
Chevron, Amoco and Philips have concessions in nearly two thirds of Somalia. 
This quartet of oil conglomerates was granted these contracts in the final days 
of Somalia’s deposed dictator, Siad Barre. The US first military engagement in 
Somalia was fully supported by Conoco. 
-
Mr Kabukuru is a Nairobi-based freelance journalist 
   
  
http://www.nationmedia.com/dailynation/nmgcontententry.asp?category_id=25&newsid=90008

 
-
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Boycott Israel [IslamCity] holy Quraan and hadeeth viewers

[saleh al sharif]

ALSALAM< ALIKOM WA RAHMATOALLAH WA BARAKATOH
   
   brothers and sisters  , these are  BROTHER  JAMAL ALNASER (the founder and 
developer of DIVINE ISLAM and all its software )   who
  spent years writing thousands of code lines to make up all the free Islamic 
software he provides for FREE, he had to step away for personal reasons and we 
ask all those who did or will benefit from his work to pray for him.
   
  1)Holy Qur'an Viewer version 2.9
  - Additional Qur'an Languages and Translations can be installed.
- Additional Qur'an Manucript Pages can be installed.
- Remote recitation feature can be enabled from within the software
   http://www.2muslims.com/directory/Detailed/223253.shtml 
   
  and you can add your (OWN) prefered language if it is not available in the 
above software i.e SPANISH  language by downloading the above VIEWER and visit 
this link
  http://www.2muslims.com/directory/Detailed/226091.shtml
  and  download  SPANISH from the chart.
   
  2)Hadith Viewer Developed by Jamal Al-Nasir
- Supports Multiple Hadith Languages
Includes Full Arabic Text of Ahadith agreed upon by Imam's Bukhari and Muslim 
is is built into Hadith Viewer along with it's english translation. English 
translation of a collection of over 1900 Ahadith compiled by Imam Nawawi also 
provided. Features include glossary of (500 words) and more... 
  (sayings/actions attributed to The Prophet Muhammad).
  http://www.2muslims.com/directory/Detailed/225686.shtml
   
  brothers and sisters , i hope these programs  are helpfull for you .
  wa alsalam alikom warahmato ALLAH wa barakatoh.
   
   

 
-
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Boycott Israel [IslamCity] Ultra-Orthodox Jew Accepts Islam

[G.Waleed Kavalec]

 Ultra-Orthodox Jew Accepts Islam
*
  By  Melech Yacov



When I was born I was given the Hebrew name Melech Yacov. Today I still live
in the area in New York where I was born. We were a semi-religious family;
we belonged to a Chasidic congregation to which we went every Saturday, but
we did not keep all the strict observances required in Chasidic Judaism. For
those who don't know, Chasidism is known in the mainstream as "Ultra
Orthodox" Judaism. They are called so because of their strict observances of
*Halacha* (Jewish Law) and their following of Jewish mysticism (*cabala*).
They are the strange people that you see walking down the street wearing
black suits and hats and letting their beards and sideburns grow long.
We were not like that though. My family cooked and used electricity on the
Sabbath, and I didn't wear a yarmulke on my head. Moreover I grew up in a
secular environment surrounded by non-Jewish schoolmates and friends. For
many years I still felt guilty about driving on Saturdays and eating
non-kosher food.

Although I did not observe all of the rules, I nevertheless felt a strong
sense that this was the way that God wanted me to live, and every time I
omitted a rule, I was committing sin in the eyes of God. From the earliest
days, my mother would read to me the stories of the great Rabbis like
Eliezar, the Baal Shem Tov, and the legends from the *Haggada* (part of the
Talmud other than the *Halacha*) and Torah.

All of these stories had the same ethical message which helped me to
identify with the Jewish community, and later Israel. The stories showed how
Jews were oppressed throughout history, but God always stood by His people
until the end. The stories that we Jews were brought up on showed us that
miracles always saved the Jews whenever they were in their greatest time of
need. The survival of the Jews throughout history, despite all odds, is seen
as a miracle in itself.

If a person wants to take an objective view on why most Jews have the
irrational Zionist stance regarding Israel, then they must understand the
way by which we were indoctrinated with these stories as children. That is
why the Zionists pretend that they are doing nothing wrong at all. All of
the *goyim* (gentiles) are seen as enemies waiting to attack, and thus they
cannot be trusted. The Jewish people have a very strong bond with one
another and see each other as the "chosen people" of God. For many years I
believed this myself.

Although I had a strong sense of identity as a Jew, I could not stand going
to Saturday services (*shul*). I still remember myself as a little boy being
forced to go to *shul* with my father. I remember how dreadfully boring it
was for me and how strange everyone looked with their black hats and beards
praying in a foreign language. It was like being thrown into a different
world away from my friends and the people I knew. This was what I thought I
was supposed to be, but I (and my parents) never adopted the Chasidic life
like the rest of my family.

When I turned 13, I was bar-mitzvahed like every other Jewish boy who
becomes a man. I also began putting *tefilin* (Hebrew amulets) on every
morning. I was told that it is dangerous to skip putting it on because it
was like an omen and bad things might happen to you. The first day I skipped
putting on *tefilin* my mom's car got stolen! That event encouraged me to
wear it for a long time.

It was only a little while after my bar-mitzvah that my family stopped going
to synagogue altogether. They could not stand the three-and-a- half hours of
prayer and felt that getting me bar-mitzvahed was the most important thing.
Later on, my father got into a silly quarrel with some congregation members,
and we ended up not going at all to services anymore. Then something strange
happened: my father was convinced by a friend to accept Jesus into his
heart. God willingly my mother did not divorce my father for his conversion
to Christianity, but she has kept a silent hatred of it ever since.

This was also a period in my early-teen years when I sought to find
something to identify with. My father's conversion helped me question my own
beliefs. I began asking questions like: What exactly is a Jew anyway? Is
Judaism a culture, a nation, or a religion? If it is a nation, then how
could Jews be citizens of two nations? If Judaism is a religion, then why
are the prayers recited in Hebrew, prayers for Eretz Israel, and observance
of "Oriental" rituals? If Judaism was just a culture, then would not a
person cease to be a Jew if he stopped speaking Hebrew and practicing Jewish
customs?

If a Jew was one who observes the commandments of the Torah, then why is
Abraham called the first Jew when he lived before the Torah came down to
Moses? Incidentally, the Torah doesn't even say he was a Jew; the word Jew
comes from the name of one of Jacob's 12