[IslamCity] Please respond
Assalamu alaikum
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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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[IslamCity] What the US could learn from Thailand
http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Southeast_Asia/HD08Ae01.htmlCOMMENTARYWhat the US could learn from ThailandBy Shawn W Crispin BANGKOK - The similarities between the Thaksin and Bush administrations in Thailand and the US respectively were always striking as the two erstwhile allies drew closer in recent years. It's all the more so now that Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra has been bumped from power by a people-power movement that complained about his government's moral bankruptcy. Both Thaksin and President George W Bush rose to power under legally dubious circumstances: while the US leader muscled his way to the top through a Supreme Court intervention, the Thai premier won a landslide victory two weeks after being convicted of concealing his assets by an anti-corruption agency. Both tough-talking leaders professed themselves to be "CEO-style" leaders, a reference to their business backgrounds before entering politics. That has often entailed running roughshod over the law in pursuit of controversial policies, not the least state-sponsored killing sprees. Thaksin's "war on drugs" campaign in 2003 witnessed the extrajudicial killing of more than 2,200 drug suspects; the death toll of Iraqis related to the US invasion now runs into the tens of thousands. Thaksin's bloody counter-insurgency campaign against Thai Muslims, where more than 1,000 people have been killed since 2004, jibed nicely with Bush's global campaign to ferret out extremists among Muslim populations - seemingly at any human or moral cost. Ralph "Skip" Boyce, the garrulous US ambassador to Thailand, has maintained that Washington has in no way assisted Thaksin's controversial counter-insurgency efforts, which, similar to US military operations in Iraq, have been attended by allegations of torture and abuse of Muslim detainees. Bangkok-based European and Asian diplomats, however, beg to differ, claiming that the United States' behind-the-scenes role in the conflict is an open secret in diplomatic circles. US officials first pushed Thaksin to shore up security in Thailand's then-peaceful majority-Muslim southernmost provinces after a group of alleged al-Qaeda-linked operatives took refuge in the area in January 2002 from crackdowns in Singapore and Malaysia, according to senior Thai intelligence officials. It's still unclear what role US persuasion played in tipping the historically tumultuous region back into conflict. Thaksin signed up early on to Bush's "war on terror", offering Thai troops to both Iraq and Afghanistan in a quid pro quo exchange for a bilateral free-trade agreement. But pressured by US officials, Thailand agreed not to sign on to the International Criminal Court, which conceivably would have the authority to convict US political and military leaders for bald violations of the Geneva Conventions. Bangkok-based US diplomats, who lambasted Thaksin for cracking down on press freedom in 2001 and early 2002, drastically changed their tune later in 2002, referring to Thaksin in glowing terms as a "strong leader" and a "good ally". The Bush administration has since manipulated and intimidated the US press, including the imprisonment of journalists, in a manner strikingly similar to Thaksin's hard-knocks campaign against the Thai media. Partners in crimeUnfortunately, that relationship often pushed Thaksin and Thai security forces into violating their own constitution. Thaksin's Thailand plays host to a joint top-secret US Central Intelligence Agency-run counter-terrorism center, charged with managing covert operations throughout Southeast Asia, according to a senior Thai intelligence official attached to the National IntelligenceAgency. Those ties appear to have paved the way for the CIA to establish a secret prison in Thailand, where abducted terror suspects were allegedly held and interrogated. Ambassador Boyce has repeatedly declined to comment on the specifics of the secret detention center. (The facility was closed down in 2003, according to the Washington Post.) Thailand-based CIA agents apprehended and extradited to an undisclosed location alleged al-Qaeda operative Hambali in August 2003. Thai legal experts said Hambali's extradition violated habeas corpus provisions outlined in Thailand's 1997 constitution because he was not formally charged or convicted of a crime. When pressed about the legality of Hambali's capture and subsequent detention, then US homeland-security chief Tom Ridge said at a Bangkok press conference in 2004 that he wasn't aware of Thai law. During a 2004 Bangkok visit where he ceremoniously promoted Thailand to ally status, Bush referred to Police Major-General Tritos Ranaridhvichai as "my hero" for his personal role in Hambali's commando-style abduction. The US has consistently supported Thai authorities' efforts in prosecuting counter-terror operations, even when legally dubious. Former US ambassador Darryl Johnson applauded Thai authorities in 2003 for
[IslamCity] Woman's Role in Contemporary Society
Woman's Role in Contemporary Society I would like to thank the Muslim Students Association for giving me this opportunity to speak with you on the issue of women which is close to my heart and which is, I believe, one of the biggest challenges facing us today as we move towards a better and just society. The role of woman, her position and status in society, and her nature have been issues of debate and discussion informed by religion, tradition and culture, misogyny, feminism and - many times - downright ignorance and bigotry. I am a Muslim and Muslims seek guidance from Allah through his book, the Qur'an, and His messenger Mohammed (pbuh). Muslims believe that the word of Allah is supreme and takes precedence over all traditions cultures. The Muslim Youth Movement in its struggle towards realising its goals of establishing a just order based on the Divine Will and promoting the values and principles of Islam felt that the area of gender needed redressing. We therefore established the Gender Desk. As the head of the MYM Gender Desk and on the many campaigns we undertake - like getting women to the mosques, struggling for a just Muslim Family Law system or simply insisting that the woman's voice be heard - I am often asked by people who are not Muslim why I do what I do; why struggle for the rights of women - and particularly Muslim women. What happened in my past that drove me to this? The answer is simple: we respond to the injunction of the Qur'an to "enjoin what is right and forbid what is wrong", as we did when faced with the terrible injustices of apartheid and oppression on the basis of race and class. In discussing the role of women in contemporary society I have divided my talk into three parts: The perceptions of woman within contemporary Muslim societies. The status, position and role of woman in the Qur'an and in early Islam from where we derive our aspirations. Some of the challenges facing us in contemporary society - more specifically, in South Africa. You might have heard at some time or the other that Islam teaches that women are "inferior" and "unequal" to men. Women are described as weak, inferior, inherently evil (it is the nature of woman to promote fitnah (mischief)), we have deficient intellectual capabilities and are spiritually lacking. Furthermore, these evaluations have been used to claim that women are unsuitable for performing certain tasks, or for functioning in some ways in society. Thus women are barred from mosques and excluded from other Muslim institutions. The "intermingling of the sexes" is frowned upon on the basis that women create fitnah. The Muslim identity of a woman is restricted and limited to her dress code. Specific functions and roles have been attributed to each sex; the function of woman is often confined to her reproductive ability. It is known that her primary function is to be mother and wife. And that she would be lacking in her Islamic duty if she in any way did not fulfil this role in accordance with how society defines it. Since it is the responsibility of males to provide for females, women are liberated from all social, political and economic obligations. They are freed from all these burdens so they can enjoy the joys of housework and child-bearing and caring. And this is regarded as the special status that Islam has accorded woman, thus liberating her from oppression and suppression over 1400 years ago. Some traditionalists are of the opinion that "according to strict Islamic injunctions, it is not obligatory for a woman to cook food for her husband or children or wash their clothes or even suckle the infants. A woman may refuse to do all these things without this being made ground for legal complaint against her. If she undertakes these duties it is out of sheer grace." Nevertheless, they stress that man and woman's roles are complementary and the most important role the women plays is in the family unit. The same traditionalists also believe that her primary role is that of a mother and wife and that she needs not venture from the home and the darkest corners of her home are best for her. They also limit her freedom to exercise her will and choice. It is ironical that all of them claim that Islam liberated women 1400 years ago. They claim that Islam gave women the right to equal education and civil and economic rights, but at the end of their analysis they come to the conclusion that a woman's place is in her husband's home and that she should be obedient to him and the male elite. How on earth can she enjoy any liberty if she lacks knowledge, is confined to her home and has minimal control over her life. We need to ask: Are these the teachings of Islam or have they been concocted by some people in order to maintain control over a sector of society so that they alone can benefit optimally. It is our duty as Muslims to refresh people's memories and look to our Glorious Qur'an and our glorious past. Let us look at the status and
[IslamCity] 'Jamat not involved with JMB activities' Shah Abdul Hannan tells New Nation
- Original Message - From: Shakil Abdullah Sent: Friday, April 07, 2006 11:59 AM Subject: 'Jamat not involved with JMB activities' Shah Abdul Hannan tells New Nation Interview of Shah Abdul Hannan with The Daily New Nation, Dhaka. 'Jamat not involved with JMB activities' Shah Abdul Hannan tells New Nation Shah Abdul Hannan, a retired secretary to the government of Bangladesh has said Janat-e-Islami is no way involved with the JMB activities. Their (Jamat's) entire history is of democratic and peaceful movement. They want to establish Islamic system through public support and peaceful means, he said in an exclusive interview with the New Nation on Thursday. Regarding fining of Islami Bank Bangladesh Limited (IBBL) Tk.1 lakh, under the Money Laundering Act by the central bank, Mr. Hannan who was a former Chairman of IBBL, said that the nature of offence is very minor. If the nature of offense was a big one, then there were provisions for jail under the law. The punishment would have been 10 years jail of the MD or officers who would have been involved, he said. The full text of the interview is as follows: NN: How do you evaluate the emergence of JMB militants in Bangladesh? SAH: I know only about the JMB and its emergence, which has appeared in the newspapers. I do not know much more than that. But I can also say that the people of Bangladesh did not know about this organization called JMB until recently, maybe six months or a year. The government also did not say there was a big network of the JMB in Bangladesh. We know that there is a terrorist network of Janajuddah and other Maoist organizations or communist organizations in various parts of the country. But the people did not know JMB. However, the later events if August 17 and some events before that prove that there is a big network of JMB in the country, which clearly shows that there was failure of intelligence agencies and they did not inform the government. So the government could not know it properly. It seems from their statements they have extremist ideas. they do not believe in democracy. They believe in armed revolution. They are not Islamic scholars. Their understanding of Islam is poor. I think they will get proper punishment by the courts. The government has done a good job in this connection. NN: Do you think that the Jamat-e-Islami is involved with the JMB activities in any way as some political parties alleged? SAH: Jamat-e-Islami is not a new party. It was established in 1941. They participated in all elections before 1970 and after 1971. Their vote was after Awami League. The second largest vote getter was Jamat-e-Islami in 1970. Now Jamat-e-Islami has itself stated that they are in no way involved with the JMB. I believe them. Because their entire history is of democratic and peaceful movement. They want to establish Islamic system through public support and peaceful means. The Prophet (SM) also established the first Islamic state through peaceful means by negotiation, discussion, dialogue, cooperation. So this is the way of establishing Islam. NN: Bangladesh Bank has fined IBBL TK1 luck for pipelining JMB's money through some accounts maintaining with the Bank. Would you please comment on it? SAH: I've seen today's (Thursday) news. It sways that they fined Tk 1 luck for money transaction through some accounts. They dint say that IBBL has done money laundering or IBBL has financed anything wrong, or financed terrorism. And the subsection under which they were charged was a section where the punishment is maximum Tk 1 lakh. If the nature of offense was a big one, then there were provision for jail under the law. Then the punishment would have been 10 years jail of the Managing Director (MD) or officers who would have been involved. You see the central bank fines almost everyday some banks and it never comes in the press. It never comes in the TV channels. But why it has become news in the TV channel now? There is no doubt, because of success of IBBL this propaganda is born out of Islam phobia. They are afraid of Islam. So they oppose Islamic party. They oppose Islamic organizations. They will oppose Islamic writers, scholars, thinkers and they will oppose Islamic banking. So motive is very clear. But I must say, in our conventional practice it is a big offense to create lack of confidence among the people on a bank, because then not only the owners of the bank suffer, but also the people will suffer, depositors suffer. So the rule, tradition, practice is that banks cannot be harmed, for owners have little money in the bank, the rest is the peoples' money. Front page, The New Nation, April 7, 2006. Yahoo! Messenger with Voice. PC-to-Phone calls for ridiculously low rates.
