Bismillah [IslamCity] Vision 2020
Here is a notable short film, of about 6 minutes, visualising our developed future. A striking one. Directed by Saraswati Kavula. More than worth visiting. http://www.youtube. com/watch? v=093_4lPy4AE Sukla Sen With Regards Abi - Special deal for Yahoo! users friends - No Cost. Get a month of Blockbuster Total Access now
RE: Bismillah [IslamCity] anti war cosmetics :D
Dear Sister Aisha, I used to read your email which is really touch my heart and my believe became more stronger on Allah and Prophet (pbuh) Please pray for me to have a peace of mind and pray for the rest of Muslims in the world May Allah shower his blessing on you and your entire family S R Sherazi From: islamcity@yahoogroups.com [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Aisha Abbasi Sent: Thursday, March 27, 2008 3:05 AM To: eGroup For Muslims Around The World Subject: Bismillah [IslamCity] anti war cosmetics :D http://www.cosmeticsdesign-europe.com/news/ng.asp?n=83696-lush-charity-a nimal-testing News, Sports, Entertainment and Weather on your mobile. Text MSN to 63463 Now. http://mobile.uk.msn.com/pc/msn_content.aspx __ This email has been scanned by the MessageLabs Email Security System. For more information please visit http://www.messagelabs.com/email __ __ Disclaimer: The information in this email and any attachments transmitted with it is intended solely for the addressee and may contain confidential and/or privileged material. Access to this email by anyone else is unauthorized. If you receive this in error, please contact the sender immediately and delete the material from any computer. Statements and opinions expressed in this e-mail are those of the sender, and do not necessarily reflect those of The Tamimi Group of Companies.image001.jpgimage002.jpg
Bismillah [IslamCity] Slaughtering in the Name of Allah...
The Book of Tawheed by Muhammad Ibn Abdul Wahab, translated by Sameh Strauch Kitaab At-Tawheed, Chapter: 9 Do Not Slaughter in the Name of Allah (swt ) in a Place Where Animals Are Slaughtered in the Name of Others Beside Him Allah (swt ), says: Do not ever stand [in prayer] therein. There is a mosque whose foundation was laid on piety from the first day. It is more worthy of your standing [for prayer] therein. In it are men who love to be purified; and Allah loves those who purify [themselves after answering the call of nature] (Qur'an 9:108) Allah (swt ), Most High, forbids His Prophet (saas ) in this verse, from praying in the Mosque of Harm and Disbelief,1 which was the first mosque to be built on a foundation of wicked intentions; and He commands them (the Muslims) to pray in the mosque which was built from the first upon a foundation of obedience to Allah (swt ) and His Messenger (saas );2 then Allah (swt ) praises the people of that mosque and He tells us that they are meticulous in their cleanliness and ablutions; then He informs us that he loves those who purify themselves from all unclean things, especially when coming from the toilet, or after sexual intercourse, etc. And those who purify themselves from the spiritual `filth' of Shirk. Benefits Derived From This Verse 1. The prohibition of encouraging that which is false. 2. The obligation to deny those deeds which are rejected and whose perpetrators are abandoned. 3. The evidence of the danger of the hypocrites to this Ummah, and the obligation to warn against them. 4. The superiority of The Prophet's Mosque and/or Qubaa` Mosque. 5. Confirmation of Allah's Divine Attribute of Love. 6. That Islam encourages cleanliness and purity, both physical and spiritual. 7. The forbiddance of praying in the Mosque of Harm and Disbelief or in the place where it stood, up to the Day of Resurrection. Relevance of This Verse to the Subject of the Chapter That it proves that it is forbidden to carry out an act of obedience to Allah (swt ) and His Prophet (saas ) in a place used to carry out acts of disobedience to Allah (swt ) and His Messenger (saas ), and that includes slaughtering animals in a place where animals are slaughtered for others besides Allah (swt ). Relevance of This Verse to the Subject of Tawheed That it proves the prohibition of all things which might lead in the end to Shirk. ..ooOOoo.. It is reported on the authority of Thabit Ibn Adh-Dhahhak (saas ) that he said: A man vowed to sacrifice a camel at a place called Buwanah, and he asked the Prophet (saas ) about it. He (saas ) said to him: Does the place contain any of the idols from the time of the Jahiliyyah?3 They said: No. He (saas ) then asked: Did the disbelievers hold any of their (religious) festivals there? They replied: No. So the Messenger of Allah (saas ) said: Then fulfill your vow, for verily, vows, which entail disobedience to Allah (swt ) or that which is beyond the capacity of the son of Adam should not be fulfilled. (Narrated by Abu Dawood, with a Sanad that meets the conditions of acceptance laid down by Bukhari and Muslim) Thabit Ibn Adh-Dhahak (ra ) informs us that a man made a vow to slaughter a female camel in a place called Buwanah, and so the Prophet (saas ) enquired as to whether it had been used as a place of worship for the idols of the Jahiliyyah or whether any of their pagan festivals had been celebrated there. When it was made clear to him that this was not the case, he ordered the man to fulfill his vow. In addition to this, he then gave a general ruling binding upon his Ummah until the Day of Ressurrection, prohibiting the fulfillment of vows made in disobedience to Allah (swt ) or which require of man what is beyond his capacity. Benefits Derived From This Hadith 1. The obligation to fulfill one's vows so long as it does not entail disobedience to Allah (swt ) or some impossible act. 2. The lawfulness of making inquiries on the part of the Mufti before delivering judgement. 3. The prohibition of carrying out an act of obedience in a place where acts of disobedience are performed. 4. The forbiddance of fulfilling vows which entail disobedience; instead, an act of recompense is required.4 5. That a vow should not be taken to do something which is beyond man's ability. 6. The permissibility of specifying a place or a time for the fulfillment of a vow. Relevance of This Hadith to the Subject of the Chapter That it proves the prohibition of carrying out an act of obedience to Allah (swt ) in a place where acts of disobedience to Him are performed, and this includes slaughtering animals in a place where animals are dedicated to others than Allah (swt ). Relevance of This Hadith to the Subject of Tawheed That it proves the forbiddance of performing an act which may lead in the end to
Bismillah [IslamCity] Are we oppressed?
Bismillah, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=opm1JlzDOgkeurl=http://apps.facebook.com/superwall/view.php?id=803275579owner_id=609173849
Bismillah [IslamCity] BBC's Newsnight - Iraq war intelligence probed.
Assalaamu `Alaykum wa Rahmatullaahi wa Barakaatuhu This programme was shown by BBC's Newsnight this evening. A must view. Insha`Allaah, the truth will prevail. Allaah Hafeez, K a r i m a Newsnight Newsnight reports on the Iraqi agent, codenamed Curveball, whose fabricated intelligence helped lead to the invasion of Iraq. Iraq war intelligence probed http://news.bbc.co.uk/player/nol/newsid_731/newsid_7313800/7313828.stm?bw=nbmp=rmnews=1bbcws=1 Once the small black screen appears, click Full screen below. bbcnewslogo.gif
Bismillah [IslamCity] Fw: Churches in Saudi Arabia?
# 1 First Catholic Church for Saudi Arabia # 2 Vatican-Saudi talks on Churches # 3 Father Federico Lombardi # 4 Saudi Arabia extends hand of friendship to Pope Richard Owen in Details: # 1 First Catholic Church for Saudi Arabia Published: March 18, 2008 Negotiations are underway to build the first Catholic church in Saudi Arabia with King Abdullah lending his support for its construction. Vatican Radio reports the Vatican and the Saudi government are currently in talks to allow the church despite the kingdoms ban on allowing the construction of any non-Muslim place of worship. No religion other than Islam is allowed to schedule public services, and even the possession of bibles, rosaries, and crucifixes is forbidden. Saudi Arabia is the only country on the Arabian Peninsula without a Catholic Church despite the 800,000 Catholics - virtually all of who are foreign workers. While Saudi Arabia does not have formal diplomatic relations with the Holy See, King Abdullah became the first reigning Saudi monarch ever to visit the Vatican last November. Commenting after his meeting with the Pope Vatican officials confirmed the Pontiff pressed for permission to open a Catholic church in the kingdom. Holy See spokesman Fr Federico Lombardi said that opening a Catholic parish in the Islamic land would be a historic achievement for religious freedom and a major step forward for inter-religious dialogue. The apostolic nuncio to Kuwait, Qatar, Yemen, the United Arab Emirates, and Bahrain, Archbishop Paul-Mounged El-Hachem, is reportedly the lead Vatican negotiator in talks with Saudi officials. http://www.cathnews.com/article.aspx?aeid=6247 # 2 Vatican-Saudi talks on Churches [Archbishop Paul-Mounged el-Hachem (14 March 2008)] Archbishop Hashem discussed the Saudi talks whilst visiting QatarThe Vatican is holding talks with Saudi Arabia on building the first church in the kingdom, where some 1.5m Christians are not allowed to worship publicly. Archbishop Paul-Mounged el-Hachem, one of Pope Benedict XVI's most senior Middle East representatives, said the discussions had begun a few weeks ago. But the archbishop cautioned that the Vatican could not predict the outcome. The discussions come in the wake of King Abdullah's historic meeting with the Pope at the Vatican last November. A Catholic-Muslim Forum was also set up by the Pope two weeks ago to repair relations between the two faiths after the crisis caused by a speech he gave in Germany in 2006, in which he appeared to associate Islam with violence. 'Reciprocity' The disclosure of talks between the Vatican and Saudi Arabia, which do not have diplomatic ties, came soon after the first Roman Catholic church in the Qatari capital, Doha, was opened in a service attended by 15,000 people. Archbishop Hachem, the Apostolic Nuncio to Kuwait, Qatar, Yemen, Bahrain and the UAE, who attended the inauguration, said he hoped there would soon be a similar church for the many Christians in neighbouring Saudi Arabia. [http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/nol/shared/img/v3/start_quote_rb.gif] If we manage to obtain authorisation for the construction of the first church, it will be an outcome of historic dimensions [http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/nol/shared/img/v3/end_quote_rb.gif] # 3 Father Federico Lombardi Spokesman for Pope Benedict Discussions are under way to allow the construction of churches in the kingdom, he said. Although he made clear the outcome was uncertain, the archbishop added that a church in Saudi Arabia would be an important sign of reciprocity between Muslims and Christians. The Vatican has noted that Muslims are free to worship openly in Europe and demands religious freedom as a condition for the opening of diplomatic relations. About a million Catholics, many of them migrant workers from the Philippines, live in Saudi Arabia. They are allowed to worship in private, mostly in people's homes, but worship in public places and outward signs of faith, such as crucifixes, are forbidden. The last Christian priest was expelled from the kingdom in 1985. Christians complain that rules are not clear and that the Saudi religious authorities, who enforce the kingdom's conservative brand of Islam, Wahhabism, sometimes crack down on legitimate congregations. The authorities cite a tradition of the Prophet Muhammad that only Islam can be practised in the Arabian Peninsula. A spokesman for Pope Benedict, Father Federico Lombardi, said: If we manage to obtain authorisation for the construction of the first church, it will be an outcome of historic dimensions. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7302378.stm # 4 Saudi Arabia extends hand of friendship to Pope Richard Owen in The Times, March 17, 2008 Rome The Vatican is believed to be holding talks with Saudi authorities over opening the first Roman Catholic church in the Islamic kingdom, where Christian worship is banned and even to possess a Bible, rosary or crucifix is an offence. The disclosure came the day after the
Bismillah [IslamCity] How Hell Affects this Earth and its Inhabitants
* * * * * * * How Hell Affects this Earth and its Inhabitants * ** ** *al-Bukhaari reports in his saheeh that Abu Hurayrah* said: Hell complained to its Rabb, saying O my Rabb, some parts of me has consumed others. So He allowed it to exhale twice, once in the winter and once in the summer. That is why you find extreme heat (in the summer) and extreme cold (in the winter). *al-Bukhaari also narrated from Abu Sa'eed (ra) that the Prophet (saw)*said: Delay your prayers until it cools down, for the intensity of heat is from the exhaled air of Hell. *(Saheeh al-Bukhaari, Kitaab Bad' al-Khalq, Baab Siffaat an-naar wa annaha makhluqah and Fath al-Baari 6/330. The author of Jaami' al-Usool 10/517 attributed these two reports to al-Bukhaari, Muslim and at-Tirmidhi).* Compiled from various sources. * Permission is granted to circulate among private individuals and groups, to post on Internet sites and to publish in full text and subject title in not-for-profit publications. * ** image005.jpgimage001.jpgimage002.gifimage006.gif
Bismillah [IslamCity] Feminism, Islam and Women�s Rights Yvonne Ridley Courtesy:http://www.dailymuslims.com/Opinion/Feminism_Islam_and_Women_Rights.html
Feminism, Islam and Womens Rights YVONNE RIDLEY on 28 March, 2008 03:24:00 | 25 times read I HAVE been a feminist for as long as I can remember and have always stood up for women's rights. But as soon as you mention feminism it has certain men raising their eyes heavenwards and creates an 'us and them' division. Actually this irrational male fear of feminism is pretty much universal and crosses nationalities, skin colour, cultures and religions, so we can't blame the usual suspects. Sadly, the Western feminist movement of the 70s neglected the needs of Muslim women and failed to address cultural differences. The net effect excluded non-Western women or forced Muslim sisters to compromise their beliefs to fit in with a lifestyle at odds with Islam. There are so many misconceptions about feminism but I would suggest that false male superiority is more evident in the Christian Church than in Islam. For instance, the Rev Pat Robertson, a man who has the ear of the President of the United States, is horrified at the thought of empowered women. He has his own TV station with a following of millions and is one of the most powerful figures in America's Bible Belt. He said: Feminism encourages women to leave their husbands, kill their children, practice witchcraft, destroy capitalism and become lesbians. The term feminism was first used in France in the 1880s by writer Hubertine Auclert, to criticise male domination. She was merely trying to highlight the fact that the women's rights and emancipation which had been promised by the French Revolutionaries had not materialised. Ever since then the term feminism has inspired many movements and continues to do so today. There are those who believe that Islamic Feminism is a contradiction in terms. I would humbly suggest that Islamic feminism, has nothing to do with those poor, confused sisters like Irshad Manji, Ayaan Hirsi Ali and Amina Wudood who talk endlessly of Islams need to modernize. I would say to them if you want to go off and start your own movement, just do it. The Islam you talk about never has and never will exist. Theres no compulsion in religion just dont let the door whack you on the way out! They are as deluded as those backward brothers who simply do not see an equal when they look at a sister. Strive as they might to treat all women as equals, they simply can not shake off their mentality or culture. I did not embrace Islam to become a second class citizen as anyone who tries to treat me as a lesser being will discover. Islamic Feminism derives its understanding and mandate from the Holy Qur'an, which offers a blueprint for the rights and justice of women, as well as the men. The Quran states quite clearly women are equal in spirituality and worth and education. Our beloved Prophet (pbuh) clearly revered and adored women for their strengths and their weakness. But he insisted that Paradise was under the feet of the mothers and told us that the most important person in the home is the mother the mother the mother. The first revert to Islam was a woman, the first martyr to Islam was a woman and the guardianship of the first ever copy of the Quran in book form was entrusted to a sister. Sisters fought alongside the Prophet (pbuh) and their Companions on the battle field as well as tending the wounded, promoting dawah work and even sacrificing and offering their children as scholars and martyrs of the future. Muslim women continued to take part in jihad over the centuries ... in Iraq, for instance, they fought alongside their men during the 1920s against the British Army. History, I can reveal, is repeating itself once more in Iraq as women actively take up arms against the illegal occupiers. As a feminist I was aghast at the rights bestowed on Muslim women 1400 years ago these are rights which have only come into the gift of Western women in the last century. Inheritance, home ownership, business and trading was inconceivable 100 years ago for our sisters in the West. It took until 1928 for all adult women in the UK were finally able to vote. As a point of interest in the Muslim world Kenyan, Palestinian, Iraqi and Pakistani women became eligible to vote in the mid to late 40s followed a decade later by their sisters in Egypt, Tunisia, Mauritius, Malaysia and Algeria. Swiss and Portuguese women - remember this are part of Europe - had to wait until the 70s for the privilege. Margot Badran from Georgetown University, who specialises in women and gender in Muslim societies, says Islamic feminism is, in many ways, far more radical than secular feminism. I'm not sure if we are more radical, but as I stated before, we have the perfect mandate for equality in the pages of our Holy Quran the word of Allah (swt) and there isnt a Muslim man alive who would be
Bismillah [IslamCity] FATWA on Wafa Sultan New Trend Magazine newtrendmag.org Biggest Islamic web sit
FATWA on Wafa Sultan New Trend Magazine newtrendmag.org Biggest Islamic web site in the USA. blog.360.yahoo.com/newtrendmag for blog. newtrendmag.org/ntma1206 for previous issue. Phone: 443-869-5233. Email: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscription for printed edition: $10 for 3 months. Mail check to: New Trend, P.O. Box 356, Kingsville, MD 21087. Disclaimer: Views expressed are not necessarily shared by the editors. New Trend does not endorse violence of any kind. Information on news or views related to violence is for analysis and understanding, not for endorsement. New Trend is against racism, classism, gender superiority, Zionism and Imperialism. The Qur'an and the authentic Hadith are our foundation. All views are welcome but only a selection can be published owing to high volume of mail. Anyone criticized in New Trend has the right of reply up to 300 words.- Rabi’ al-Awwal 17,1429/ March 25, 2008, #19 -- FATWA on Wafa Sultan's Crusade Against Islam: It is the Duty of U.S. Muslims to Neutralize her Hate. American Islamic Leader Lays Down What the Shari'a Says About Wafa Sultan and others Like Her. Question: Dear Imam Badi Ali: asalamu alaikum Wafa Sultan is an American of Syrian origin and lives in the Los Angeles area. In recent years, she has been attacking Islam in an abusive way full of hate. She has been received with love and expectations by pro-Zionist web sites. She has also been used, through the medium of Al-Jazeerah, to pump her hatred of Islam into the homes of Muslims across the Arab world. Here are the salient features of her attack: She insults the Prophet, pbuh, and his companions, r.a. She abuses the Qur'an. She supports Israel. She condemns those who fight Israel as terrorists. She opposes all those who oppose Israel. She claims that the Jewish story of the Holocaust must not be subjected to critical review because it is an unassailable fact. Her style is not that of rational discourse or critical inquiry or even rhetorical opposition. She is blatantly abusive and tries to degrade all that is sacred to Muslims. Her methodology is to cherry pick, a part of a Qur'anic verse here, a hadith out of context there. She ignores the fact that Islam progressively transformed society: Islam ended slavery and the subjugation of women, it banned intoxicants and gambling, cracked down on fornication and secret marriages, over a period of time, not all in one day. Hence Sultan can find something bad which was not banned at a certain time, and she will present it as part of Islam. As she knows Arabic, she has been effectively used to attack and abuse Islam in the Middle East. Through al-Jazeerah, it was like inviting someone into our homes to insult our mothers and fathers. I have long suspected that al-Jazeerah is linked to U.S. intelligence. It is quite interesting that the headquarters of the U.S. military Central Command and al-Jazeerah are both based in the tiny emirate of Qatar which in turn is linked to the U.S. We need to find out if Wafa Sultan is a Mossad agent and how much money she has made off her crusade against Islam. She tells a story about her teacher being killed in front of her by terrorists owing to which she left Islam. If true, it shows that she is using a crime to justify her attack on all that is sacred to Islam. However, other students from the same institution about which Sultan makes the claim have said for the record that no such atrocity took place. If such a horror had happened, the news could not have been a secret known only to Sultan. Her propaganda is linked to the ruling Syrian Alawite sect's fabrications about their Islamic opponents. Muslims are rightfully upset with Wafa Sultan. Here in America, the corporate-Zionist media will not allow any analysis of her claims by Islamic scholars. Islam haters like Glenn Beck lionize Wafa Sultan and others like her as if what they say against Islam carries weight. The Islamic viewpoint has been censored by CNN, FOX, MSNBC etc. By contrast, in our countries, Sultan's abuse is being carried into the sanctities of our homes and families. Dear Imam, as you are from the Arab world, you know Islam, you teach Islam, you know the Middle East, you watch Al-Jazeerah, what is your FATWA [religious ruling] on Wafa Sultan? How should U.S. Muslims respond and what is our role as Muslims living in the same country as Wafa Sultan? Sincerely Kaukab Siddique, Ph.D Associate Professor of English and Mass Communication - FATWA by IMAM BADI ALI, North Carolina: In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful All praise belongs to Allah and we send salutations on Muhammad, his family, his companions and his wives. Islam respects all religions. Islam is the absolute truth, guarded by Allah Almighty Himself, in the Qur'an
Bismillah [IslamCity] 23 seconds to understand , why , how ?? and who ??
How to issue an expert's opinion on the Middle Eastern affairs and on Arab Politics , within 23 seconds. Look at the attendance-list of the Arab League Summit today in Damascus.. those who decided not to attend to that conference are the Puppets of the USA , who have refused to become the Puppets of Syria , or even , to become an independent-puppet. Although Syria is an Arab Country and the USA is not !! Although Syria is geopoliticaly inside the Middle East and the USA is not !! Although Syria is a founding-member of the Arab-League and the USA is not !! If it took you more than 23 seconds to understand the above then you are a beginner ( novice) in Politicsor geography. Sherlock Hommos master in elementary-politics 29.March 2008 - Sent from Yahoo! Mail. A Smarter Inbox.
Bismillah [IslamCity] The Observer: Those who control oil and water will control the world by John Gray
Those who control oil and water will control the world New superpowers are competing for diminishing resources as Britain becomes a bit-player. The outcome could be deadly John Gray The Observer, Sunday March 30 2008 History may not repeat itself, but, as Mark Twain observed, it can sometimes rhyme. The crises and conflicts of the past recur, recognisably similar even when altered by new conditions. At present, a race for the world's resources is underway that resembles the Great Game that was played in the decades leading up to the First World War. Now, as then, the most coveted prize is oil and the risk is that as the contest heats up it will not always be peaceful. But this is no simple rerun of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Today, there are powerful new players and it is not only oil that is at stake. It was Rudyard Kipling who brought the idea of the Great Game into the public mind in Kim, his cloak-and-dagger novel of espionage and imperial geopolitics in the time of the Raj. Then, the main players were Britain and Russia and the object of the game was control of central Asia's oil. Now, Britain hardly matters and India and China, which were subjugated countries during the last round of the game, have emerged as key players. The struggle is no longer focused mainly on central Asian oil. It stretches from the Persian Gulf to Africa, Latin America, even the polar caps, and it is also a struggle for water and depleting supplies of vital minerals. Above all, global warming is increasing the scarcity of natural resources. The Great Game that is afoot today is more intractable and more dangerous than the last. The biggest new player in the game is China and it is there that the emerging pattern is clearest. China's rulers have staked everything on economic growth. Without improving living standards, there would be large-scale unrest, which could pose a threat to their power. Moreover, China is in the middle of the largest and fastest move from the countryside to the city in history, a process that cannot be stopped. There is no alternative to continuing growth, but it comes with deadly side-effects. Overused in industry and agriculture, and under threat from the retreat of the Himalayan glaciers, water is becoming a non-renewable resource. Two-thirds of China's cities face shortages, while deserts are eating up arable land. Breakneck industrialisation is worsening this environmental breakdown, as many more power plants are being built and run on high-polluting coal that accelerates global warming. There is a vicious circle at work here and not only in China. Because ongoing growth requires massive inputs of energy and minerals, Chinese companies are scouring the world for supplies. The result is unstoppable rising demand for resources that are unalterably finite. Although oil reserves may not have peaked in any literal sense, the days when conventional oil was cheap have gone forever. Countries are reacting by trying to secure the remaining reserves, not least those that are being opened up by climate change. Canada is building bases to counter Russian claims on the melting Arctic icecap, parts of which are also claimed by Norway, Denmark and the US. Britain is staking out claims on areas around the South Pole. The scramble for energy is shaping many of the conflicts we can expect in the present century. The danger is not just another oil shock that impacts on industrial production, but a threat of famine. Without a drip feed of petroleum to highly mechanised farms, many of the food shelves in the supermarkets would be empty. Far from the world weaning itself off oil, it is more addicted to the stuff than ever. It is hardly surprising that powerful states are gearing up to seize their share. This new round of the Great Game did not start yesterday. It began with the last big conflict of the 20th century, which was an oil war and nothing else. No one pretended the first Gulf War was fought to combat terrorism or spread democracy. As George Bush Snr and John Major admitted at the time, it was aimed at securing global oil supplies, pure and simple. Despite the denials of a less honest generation of politicians, there can be no doubt that controlling the country's oil was one of the objectives of the later invasion of Iraq. Oil remains at the heart of the game and, if anything, it is even more important than before. With their complex logistics and heavy reliance on air power, high-tech armies are extremely energy-intensive. According to a Pentagon report, the amount of petroleum needed for each soldier each day increased four times between the Second World War and the Gulf War and quadrupled again when the US invaded Iraq. Recent estimates suggest the amount used per soldier has jumped again in the five years since the invasion. Whereas Western
Bismillah [IslamCity] Volume 1, Book 3, Number 70
Volume 1, Book 3, Number 70: Narrated Abu Wail: 'Abdullah used to give a religious talk to the people on every Thursday. Once a man said, O Aba 'Abdur-Rahman! (By Allah) I wish if you could preach us daily. He replied, The only thing which prevents me from doing so, is that I hate to bore you, and no doubt I take care of you in preaching by selecting a suitable time just as the Prophet used to do with us, for fear of making us bored. - Be a better friend, newshound, and know-it-all with Yahoo! Mobile. Try it now.
Bismillah [IslamCity] Should Britain negotiate with Taliban Courtesy:Daily Telegraph Newspaper
[EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: [EMAIL PROTECTED], Subject: Now negotiate Date: Sat, 29 Mar 2008 18:12:18 +0500 Should Britain negotiate with the Taliban? Posted at: 00:01 on Daily Telegraph Newspaper Britain must be willing to talk to the Taliban and other extremist groups in an attempt to stem the spread of terrorism, Defence Secretary Des Browne has told The Daily Telegraph. Last year Gordon Brown said that Britain would not negotiate with terrorists but two weeks later The Daily Telegraph revealed that MI6 had held secret talks with the Taliban. Mr Browne admitted that some will see his comments as pandering to terrorists, but said that his experience as a former Northern Ireland minister had convinced him that the West should be willing to have lines of communication open to Islamist extremists. Do you think that people who use violence in an effort to achieve their political aims could ever be persuaded into political dialogue? Is Mr Browne right to try and find solutions to Islamic fundamentalism based on his experience in Northern Ireland? Do you agree with Mr Browne's suggestion or should the British Government uphold their pledge never to talk to terrorists? I still remember the words of Iron Lady former PM of UK when USSR tried to control the one million tunnels country Afghanistan and now again when English ruler had lost hopes of getting any thing from there and the failure of evergreen policy of divide and rule now they want to talk. Who will be answerable to hundred of those innocent citizens of Afghan's land who was not involved in war but was bombed from air. Where is justice, where is the international law, where is US think tank and United Nation. Why the whole Muslims around the world were marketed as terrorist on media ??? Feroz Ahmed ABDUL WAHID OSMAN BELAL - You rock. That's why Blockbuster's offering you one month of Blockbuster Total Access, No Cost.
Bismillah [IslamCity] Book: The Verdict-The Enchantress of Florence-Salman Rushdie
Book of the week The Verdict The Enchantress of Florence. By Salman Rushdie The real uses of enchantment Salman Rushdie's sumptuous mixture of history and fable in The Enchantress of Florence is magnificent, says Ursula K Le Guin From the sea of stories our master fisherman has brought up two gleaming, intertwining prizes - a tale about three boys from Florence in the age of Lorenzo de' Medici, and a story of Akbar, greatest of the Mughal emperors, who established both the wondrous and shortlived city Fatehpur Sikri and a wondrous and shortlived policy of religious tolerance. Both stories are about story itself, the power of history and fable, and why it is that we can seldom be sure which is which. Fabulous as his life was, Akbar was a historical figure, and one of the young Florentines is Niccolò Machiavelli, our byword for political realism. But Niccolò's friend Argalia flies off on the peacock wings of the novelist's invention to become the bosom friend of Akbar before returning to fight for a lost cause in Florence. Some characters are the inventions of other characters: Queen Jodha, and Qara Köz, the Enchantress, are Akbar's daydreams of the Perfect Wife, the Perfect Lover, brought into existence by tale-tellers and artists and Akbar's all-powerful desire and obsession. They are accepted by his people, such occurrences being normal at that time, before the real and the unreal were segregated forever and doomed to live apart under different monarchs and separate legal systems. This brilliant, fascinating, generous novel swarms with gorgeous young women both historical and imagined, beautiful queens and irresistible enchantresses, along with some whores and a few quarrelsome old wives - all stock figures, females perceived solely in relation to the male. Women are never treated unkindly by the author, but they have no autonomous being. The Enchantress herself, who turns everyone into puppets of her will, has no personality at all, and exists - literally - by pleasing men. Akbar calls her a woman who had forged her own life, beyond convention, by the force of her will alone, a woman like a king. But in fact she does nothing but sell herself to the highest bidder, and her power is an illusion permitted by him. In one marvellous scene Akbar's wife and mother come to show his imaginary wife Jodha how to release him from the Enchantress's spell, and in so doing are reconciled with Jodha in a moment of hilarious feminine solidarity - but the Enchantress materialises, Jodha vanishes, the women are defeated by the man's obsession. Indeed, the men in the book are as hormone-besotted as adolescents. All their derring-do, their battling for cities and empires, comes down to little more than a desire for a bed with a young woman in it. Machiavelli becomes a disappointed middle-aged lecher whose middle-aged wife waddles and quacks while he looks at her, of course, with loathing. But then suddenly, for a page or two, we slip into her soul; we feel her anger at his disloyalty, her hurt pride as a woman, her unchanged pride in his dark sceptical genius and her puzzlement at his failure to see how he lessens himself by scorning what he has that is treasurable and honourable. For that moment I glimpsed a very different book, almost a different author. Then it was back to the dazzling play of fancy and the powerful dreams of men. The swashbuckling Argalia's adventures, which links the Florentine and the Indian strands of the double tale, are full of Rushdian charm and extravagance (descending sometimes into facetiousness, as in the case of the four giant albino Swiss mercenaries named Otho, Botho, Clotho and D'Artagnan). But Argalia's exploits are less interesting than the misfortunes of Machiavelli or the mind of the Emperor Akbar. Rushdie's Akbar is imperial, intelligent and very likable, a marvellous spokesman for his author. Akbar tried to unite all India, all races, tribes, clans, faiths, and nations - a powerful dream indeed, though doomed to perish with him. What winds were blowing in the late 15th century to waken that emperor's syncretic vision, even as Europe began to free itself from the church's control of ideas? If there had never been a God, the emperor thought, it might have been easier to work out what goodness was. Goodness might not lie in self-abnegation before an Almighty but in the slow, clumsy, error-strewn working out of an individual or collective path. Lord of a theocratic, absolutist society, he glimpses harmony not as the enemy of discord but as the result of it: difference, disobedience, disagreement, irreverence, iconoclasm, impudence, even insolence might be the wellsprings of the good. Akbar is the moral centre of the book, its centre of gravity, and provides its strongest link to the issues that have concerned Rushdie in his works and his life. It all comes down to the question of responsibility. Akbar's objection to God is that
Bismillah [IslamCity] West meets East - book review by A. G. Noorani
The doctrine of ancient hatreds may become the post-Cold Wars most robust mystification, a way of having an enemy and knowing evil that deceives as it satisfies. The hatred is modern, and may be closer than we think. BOOKS West meets East A.G. NOORANI http://www.frontlineonnet.com/stories/20080411250707800.htm Without imposing any Western theories, these volumes understand Indian realities well and are relevant to many controversies of today. THESE volumes will be warmly welcomed by all students of Indian affairs within and outside the country. The authors are two of the most highly respected scholars, dedicated India hands, who have enriched India studies. The research of Lloyd I. Rudolph and Susanne Hoeber Rudolph is thorough; empathy pronounced but never for a moment impairing objectivity. The husband and wife make a formidable team. Their academic careers began in 1956 when they arrived in India with two Ford Foundation fellowships in Foreign Area Studies. They were among the first generation of American scholars to do research in India. Their academic careers came to a close at the University of Chicago in April 2003 with a Festschrift Conference on Area Studies Redux: Situating Knowledge in a Globalising World. Area Studies is central to their inquiries in the 51 essays. Lloyd I. Rudolph and Susanne Hoeber Rudolph have spent half a century explaining Indian democracy not only to Americans but to Indians as well. Their first work, The Modernity of Tradition (1967), broke new paths. Indias tradition will not vanish into history but will survive and adapt to modern times. The essays in these volumes cover a vast area on Indias domestic and foreign affairs; some are written singly, others jointly. They were ever ready to learn and think afresh. In an arresting passage, Susanne writes, Using Anglo-American concepts and methods in new research areas was unavoidable. They were our tool kits, our means for entering complex and unfamiliar non-Western environments. To what extent were the tool kits we brought with us from the United States capable of bridging differences between the civilisations, cultures and worldviews of the Western observer and the non-Western observed? Early in our research in India, Lloyd Rudolph and I coined the phrase imperialism of categories. It was meant to designate the academic practice of imposing concepts on the other the export of concepts as part of a hegemonic relationship. Concepts crafted in a dominant sociocultural environment are exported to a subordinate one. The imperialism of categories entails an unselfconscious parochialism of categories scholars from a dominant culture sometimes called the centre, travel to a distant and lesser place, sometimes called the periphery, where they apply universal concepts. The trouble is that these concepts have been fashioned out of the centres materials in our case out of Anglo-American clay. The authors governing passion was to understand the realities, not impose theories. Some of the old articles make one sad at the straits to which we have reduced ourselves. An article Susanne wrote in 1961, Consensus and Conflict in Indian Politics, reminds us that the politics of consensus was a practical and, indeed, attractive proposition then. After the Congress split in 1969, Indias politics became polarised. The whole of South Asia presents a sad spectacle of split politics in which the main parties find little common ground. All the states have suffered assassination of leaders, dynastic succession and populism. India is split between the forces of Hindutva and the rest. THE HINDU PHOTO LIBRARY Leaders of the Janata Party, including Morarji Desai, Charan Singh, L.K. Advani and A.B. Vajpayee, with President N. Sanjiva Reddy (second from left). This imposes severe strains on the parliamentary system, on the civil service, the media and the judiciary. Lloyds essay on Media and Cultural Politics (1992) documents how politics shaped the media and was, in turn, shaped by it. Successive governments tinkered with autonomy for Doordarshan and Akashvani. No statute can ensure autonomy if society lacks a culture that prizes autonomy. Witness: the aftermath of the Prasar Bharati Act, 1990. Many of the essays are relevant to the controversies of today. Judicial Review versus Parliamentary Sovereignty (1981) is one. Another is Modern Hate: How Ancient Animosities get Invented. Societies are not torn apart by history, but by invention of historic wrongs in present times. The Babri Masjid was made an issue by the BJP in its Palampur resolution in 1989 on the eve of the general election to the Lok Sabha. Which identities become relevant for politics is not predetermined by some primordial ancientness. They are crafted in benign and malignant ways in print and
Bismillah [IslamCity] April foolishness
http://petitions.pm.gov.uk/notadaylonger If this email is not displayed properly, click here 3 ways to protect your human rights This Tuesday proposals to extend pre-charge detention get their second reading in Parliament. Sadly it is no joke, on 1 April proposals are being put in front of Parliament to extend the time people can be held without charge in the UK to 42 days - in other words you could be locked up for six weeks without being told what you are suspected of doing. The good news is that there are a lot of MPs and Lords prepared to fight this - but they need your encouragement and support. Others may be persuaded to make a stand if their constituents (you) demand it. So here's what you can do: 1 Write to your MP and ask them to stand up for our civil rights and oppose this draconian extension of pre-charge detention. Simply pop your postcode into http://writetothem.com and the site will channel your mail to your own MP. It is important that you write in your own words (inspiration here). 2 Get everyone you know to sign our petition http://petitions.pm.gov.uk/notadaylonger 3 Spread this everywhere you can on Facebook, MySpace, Bebo, blogs and anywhere and everywhere you are active online. If you have any queries or feedback about this email or Amnesty's work, please get in touch with our Supporter Care team on [EMAIL PROTECTED] or +44 (0)20 7033 1777Stop receiving these emailsStop receiving all Amnesty International emailsAmnesty International UK is a company limited by guarantee. Registered in England no 01735872, registered office _ The next generation of Windows Live is here http://www.windowslive.co.uk/get-live
Bismillah [IslamCity] Just Released: Bedevilled World By Azharul Islam
Dear members, Assalamu Alaikum.Dr.Azharul Islam is a seriior scholar of Bangldesh.I knew him personally when he was Vice-Chancellor ( President ) of Intenational Islamic University with campus at Chittagong and Dhaka.I have read the the Bangla translation of the book. English original has now been published from Delhi.Please read it .You will benefit. Shah Abdul Hannan - Original Message - From: Global Media Publications To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Friday, March 28, 2008 11:19 AM Subject: Just Released: Bedevilled World By Azharul Islam Name of the Book: Bedevilled World By Azharul Islam, ISBN: 8188869260 Date of Publication: March 2008 326 pages, tables, figures Price: Rs 845 (India), US$ 45 (Elsewhere) Published by : Global Media Publications http://www.gmpublications.com/product_info.php?products_id=25640 About the Book: Islam has been accused for every evil, every incident of terrorism, every action of some splinter groups in remote corners of the world. Islam has been portrayed as a savage religion, bent upon destroying world. This unjust portrayal of Islam (a Divine Religion) is in sharp contrast to Christian groups responsible for atrocities or terrorist attacks throughout the century up to the present time. For these Christianity is hardly named or blamed in world media. Basque separatists, IRA, Ku Klux Klan, other terrorists groups or individuals including Oklahoma city bomber 27-year old Timothy James McVeigh (168 were killed on 19 April, 1995) in countries like Britain, Germany, Lebanaon, North or South America or elsewhere in the world are never called Christian terrorists and Christianity is never blamed for their actions. President Bush's so-called multi-billion dollar 'war on terror' in the last few years has failed to contain terrorism. The so-called 'war on terror' should have been fought alongside the 'war on global injustice'. Something about redressing global injustice, Muslim plight, bigotry, attack on Islam should be addressed genuinely. One should clearly understand that 'fault' does not entirely rest on a group or a smaller country but on the most powerful nation and the colonial powers for their imperialistic behaviour. A manifesto that seeks to enforce 'Western hegemony and cultural imperialism' through an archaic policy of 'divide and rule' is probably hard to win friends, though it is sure to create more enemies. This book discusses all the above issues and tries to find out as to how the world can be made more secure, how terrorism can be contained and how the injustice can be removed from the face of the earth. Bangladesh is a good example where the Bangladeshi government destroyed the terrorist infrastructure in the country. It can be a good example to follow elsewhere too. About the author Born in Bogra (Bangladesh) in 1946, Professor Islam earned his Ph.D. from London University in 1972. For 39 years he has been engaged in university teaching and research. Dr Azharul Islam is a former vice chancellor of International Islamic University, Rajshahi, Bangladesh. He is the recipient of several national and international awards. He has authored 17 books. Two International Conference proceedings edited by the author are catalogued in the Library of Congress, and several other libraries of UK, Italy, Japan, China, India, Pakistan, Singapore etc. Professor Islam regularly writes about culture, social issues, current affairs, issues involving Middle East and scientific issues including nuclear proliferation in several national and international dailies and weeklies. He has published more than 100 research articles in his field of research and around 75 review and general articles. He has also translated books from English to Bengali and edited several books and conference proceedings in English. The Arabic version of one of his recent books is being published from Jordan. He has recently completed a 50-page chapter of a big volume on invitation by Nova science publishers in New York. Table of Contents Preface Chapter - 1 Wild World - Global Injustice 1.1Introduction 1.2Mapping some basic issues 1.3US Middle East policy 1.4From Hiroshima to Iraq Chapter - 2 Global Violence and Terrorism 2.1Violence and terrorism 2.2Face of terrorism – few examples 2.3From 'favoured' Mujahideen to 'Al-Qaeda' 2.4US 'War on Terror' 2.5Violence and terrorism – other aspects 2.6Root causes of terrorism and why it is on the rise Chapter - 3 Vilification and Demonization of Islam 3.1The clash of ignorance 3.2Neo-Crusaders – reviving ancient hatred of Islam 3.3Religious intolerance and Qur'an abuse 3.4Pretext of freedom of expression 3.5'Militant Islam' – a fashionable label 3.6Experiencing the
Bismillah [IslamCity] Video: Tafseer of Ayat-al-kursi (Ayatul Kursi), from Tahfeemul Qural - Abul A'ala Maududi
Assalamo Alaikum Wa Rahmatullahe Wa Barakatahu. *Video: Tafseer of Ayat-al-kursi (Ayatul Kursi), from Tafheemul Qural - Abul A'ala Maududihttp://www.biharanjuman.org/maududi/tafheem-ul-quran-ayat-al-kursi.htm * PS: Actions may not always bring happiness; but there is no happiness without action, so act we MUST. - Wishing you and all your loved ones greatest of times ahead! Aspiring 2 c u happy! Shakeel Ahmad Dubai, United Arab Emirates +971.50.4599172 http://www.biharanjuman.org - Largest network of people from Bihar or Jharkhand Remember, growing older is mandatory. Growing up is optional. We make a Living by what we get, we make a Life by what we give. If you fill your heart with regrets of yesterday and the worries of tomorrow, you have no today to be thankful for.
